The Times-Picayune 10-12-2025

Oscar-winning star DianeKeatondies at 79 4A

COUNCIL

COUNCIL MEMBER:

COUNCIL MEMBER: DISTRICT D WINNER:

COUNCIL MEMBER: DISTRICTE RUNOFF BETWEEN:

COUNCIL AT-LARGE: DIVISION1 WINNER:

COUNCIL AT-LARGE: DIVISION 2 WINNER:

MORENO WINS

on Saturday.

BY JAMES FINN and SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writers

HelenaMoreno will be New Orleans’ next mayor after securing an outright victory in Saturday’smunicipal primary,capping a campaign that marshaled adiverse coalition despite aflurry of attacks from opponents in therace’sfinalweeks.

Moreno, 48, becomes thesecond woman to win New Orleans’ top office andthe first Hispanic person to earnthat title. She will succeed Mayor LaToya Cantrell, whoisset to depart office due to termlimitsinJanuary following ascandal-riddensecond term. Months of polling projected thatMoreno wouldsecurebetween 47% and51% of the vote on primary night. That put herona knife’sedge to exceed the 50% needed to win outright andavoid aNovember runoff, which would’ve scrambled the race’sdynamics. The contest’sconsensus front-runner, Moreno had notched 55% of New Orleans’ citywide vote just overanhour after polls

closed on Saturday,accordingtopreliminary resultstallied by theLouisiana SecretaryofState’sOffice.

By 9:08 p.m., Moreno had secured enough votes for WWL-TV to callthe race in her favor.She gave an exultant victoryspeech almost an hour after that.

“We’re abouttotakethiscity in awhole new direction, so that youcan always,always callNew Orleans home,” Moreno said to a full house at the Civic Theater in theCentral BusinessDistrict.

Moreno becomes theonlyperson in the city’smodern history besidesMitch Landrieu to win arace for an open New Orleans mayoralseatoutright in theprimary.

“We’re about to takethis city in awhole new direction, so that youcan always, always call New Orleans home.”

NEWORLEANS MAyOR-ELECT HELENA MORENO

By 10 p.m.,state Sen. Royce Duplessis, DNew Orleans, had won 22% of the vote. City CouncilmemberOliver Thomas hadwon 18% of the vote.

“I cannotexpress to youhow blessed I

ORLEANSPARISH

feel, how humbled Iambythis experience, and what it means to me and my family standing behind me,” Duplessistoldhis supporters. “In ademocratic process you have to be willing to accept the outcome.” Thomas also conceded the race shortly before 10 p.m Heroutright victory affirms a campaign someanalysts said she had effectively been running for her eight years on the City Council. In TV ads, forums andcampaign appearances, Moreno, a Democrat, hammered amessage that she hadthe right blend of experience within city government and fresh perspective to turn the tide on New Orleans’ bevy of entrenched challenges.

She hewed her message to things New Orleanians regularly bemoan: cracked streets, dysfunctional government, alagging

Woodfork defeatsHutsoninsheriff’s race

BY JOSEPH CRANNEY Staff writer

OrleansParishvotersbootedSheriff

Susan Hutson from office Saturday,replacing her with Michelle Woodfork, a 30-year New Orleans police officer who rose to become interim superintendent. WWL-TV called the race for Woodfork about9:20 p.m.

Woodfork, 55, won with 53% of the vote, with 2nd City Constable Edwin Shortyat21% and Hutson at 17%. The vote came almost five monthsafter agroup of detainees escaped the jail Hutson runs, ahistoric breach of safety that doomed her reelection campaign. Woodfork is the second Black woman,after Hutson, to be elected sheriff in Louisiana. She’lltakeoverabadly

overcrowded and underfunded jail under the watch of afederal judge. The May 15 escape is under investigation by the state Attorney General’s Office, too.

“Wedid it!” Woodfork said in avictory speech.She thankedHutsonand took adig at Shortyinthe wake of achippy campaign.

ä See WOODFORK, page 8A ä See MORENO, page 6A

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

NewOrleans Mayor-elect Helena Morenocelebrates with supporters at her election night watchparty at the Civic

Woodfork

Matthew Willard

JP Morrell

Eugene Green

Cyndi Nguyen Jason Hughes

FreddieKing III

AimeeMcCarron Holly Friedman

ä In Slidell mayor’srace, Randy Fandal wins. PAGE 7A

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Biden receiving treatment for cancer

WASHINGTON Former President

Joe Biden is receiving radiation and hormone therapy as part of a new phase of treating the aggressive form of prostate cancer he was diagnosed with after leaving office, a spokesperson said Saturday “As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” said Biden aide Kelly Scully

The 82-year-old Democrat left office in January after he had dropped his bid for reelection six months earlier following a disastrous debate against Republican Donald Trump amid concerns about Biden’s age, health and mental fitness. Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris, who was Biden’s vice president.

In May, Biden’s postpresidential office announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and that it had spread to his bone. The discovery came after he reported urinary symptoms.

Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what is known as a Gleason score The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively Biden’s office said his score was 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive.

Last month, Biden had surgery to remove skin cancer lesions from his forehead.

Sudanese paramilitary attack kills at least 53

CAIRO A shelling and drone attack by the Sudanese paramilitary forces hit a shelter in a besieged city in the Darfur region, killing at least 53 people, a doctors’ group said Saturday

The onslaught was the latest in Sudan’s more than two-year war

The Sudan Doctors’ Network, a group of medical professionals tracking the war, says at least 14 children and 15 women were among the dead in the attack late Friday by the Rapid Support Forces on the city of el-Fasher

The attack also left 21 people wounded, including five children and seven women, the group said. Most of the wounded suffered serious injuries it said.

The attack targeted al-Arqam Home, a shelter for displaced families in el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, the group said. The shelter is located at the Omdurman Islamic University

“This massacre represents a continuation of the scorchedearth policy practiced by the Rapid Support Forces against civilians, in flagrant violation of all international norms and laws,” the medical group said.

The RSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Floods, landslides kill at least 37 in Mexico

MEXICO CITY The death toll from landslides and floods set off by incessant rainfall in central and southeastern Mexico rose to 37 people on Saturday authorities said, a sharp increase as thousands of soldiers cleared blocked roads to rescue the missing nationwide.

Mexico’s National Coordination of Civil Protection reported that as of Saturday, the heavy rains had killed 22 people in the state of Hidalgo, north of Mexico City, and cut off power to 150 communities there. At least nine people were killed in the state of Puebla, east of Mexico City and over 16,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

There were also five deaths in the state of Veracruz, where the army and navy were helping rescue residents from 42 communities left isolated by landslides on roads and flooded streams.

Across the Gulf coast state’s 55 municipalities, another 16,000 homes were damaged. Earlier, in the central state of Querétaro, a child died being caught in a landslide.

Across the country, over 320,000 users were affected by power outages caused by the heavy rains, authorities said. Authorities have attributed the deadly downpours to Tropical Storm Priscilla, formerly a hurricane, and Tropical Storm Raymond, both off the western coast of Mexico.

Ceasefire holds in Gaza Strip

Palestinians return to ruins; U.S. expects hostages freed Monday

BY ABDEL KAREEM HANA, SAM METZ, SARAH EL DEEB and SAM MEDNICK Associated Press

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The Gaza ceasefire held in its second day as tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to their neighborhoods Saturday and Israelis cheered Monday’s expected release of remaining hostages.

“Gaza is completely destroyed. I have no idea where we should live or where to go,” said Mahmoud al-Shandoghli in Gaza City as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war A boy climbed debris to raise the Palestinian flag.

Israelis applauded President Donald Trump, and some booed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner addressed a weekly rally in Tel Aviv that many hoped would be the last.

To the hostages themselves, our brothers and sisters, you are coming home,” Witkoff told the crowd estimated in the hundreds of thousands. Kushner said they would celebrate on Monday, when Israel’s military has said the 48 hostages still in Gaza would be freed. The government believes around 20 remain alive Kushner also noted the “suffering” in Gaza.

Israelis hugged and took selfies. Many waved U.S. flags. “It’s a really happy time, but we know that there are going to be some incredibly difficult moments coming,” said one person in the crowd, Yaniv Peretz.

About 200 U.S. troops arrived in Israel to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas. They will set up a center to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance.

“This great effort will be achieved with no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the U.S military’s Central Command. Israel said Witkoff, Kushner and Cooper met with senior U.S. and Israeli military officials in Gaza on Saturday

A copy of the signed ceasefire says Hamas must share all information related to any bodies of hostages that are not released within the first 72 hours, and that Israel will provide information about the

remains of deceased Palestinians from Gaza held in Israel.

The photo of the document was obtained by The Associated Press and its veracity was confirmed by two officials, including one whose country was a signatory Both requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks The U.S. did not confirm whether it was authentic.

Hamas and Israel will share the information through a mechanism supported by mediators and the International Committee of the Red Cross It will also ensure all hostages are exhumed and released.

The agreement says mediators and the ICRC will facilitate the exchange of the hostages and prisoners without public ceremonies or media coverage.

Israel is to free some 250 Palestinians serving prison sentences, as well as around 1,700 people seized from Gaza the past two years and held without charge

The Israel Prison Service said prisoners have been transferred to deportation facilities at Ofer and Ktzi’ot prisons, “awaiting instructions from the political echelon.”

Aid groups urged Israel to reopen more crossings to allow aid into faminestricken Gaza. A U.N official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet public said Israel has approved expanded aid deliveries, starting Sunday

The World Food Program said it was ready to restore 145 food distribution points Before Israel sealed off Gaza in March, U.N. agencies provided food at 400 distribution points.

Though the timeline remains unclear, Palestinians will be able to access food at more locations than they could through the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operated four locations after taking over distribution in May

Some 170,000 metric tons of food aid have been positioned in neighboring countries awaiting Israeli permission.

Questions remain about who will govern Gaza after Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in the ceasefire agreement.

Netanyahu, who unilaterally ended the previous ceasefire in March, has suggested Israel could resume its offensive if Hamas fails to disarm. He has pledged that the next stage would bring Hamas’ disarmament

The scale of Gaza’s destruction will become clearer if the truce holds. And the death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are found.

Court: Guard troops sent to Ill. can stay,

By The Associated Press

CHICAGO National Guard troops sent to Illinois by President Donald Trump can stay in the state and under federal control, but can’t be deployed to protect federal property or go on patrol for now an appeals court ruled Saturday

The decision comes after federal Judge April Perry on Thursday ruled to temporarily block the National Guard deployment for at least two weeks, finding no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The appeals court on Saturday granted a pause in the case until it can hear further arguments. The on-again, off-again deployments stem from a political and legal battle over Trump’s push to send the Guard to several U.S. cities His administration claims crime is rampant in those cities, despite statistics not always supporting that.

Trump directs troops be paid amid shutdown

President tells Pentagon to use ‘all available funds’

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has directed the Defense Department to use “all available funds” to ensure U.S. troops are paid Wednesday despite the government shutdown, a short-term fix that will not apply to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have been furloughed.

check on Wednesday after the government shut down on Oct. 1, the start of the federal budget cycle. The U.S. has about 1.3 million active-duty service members, and the prospect of troops going without pay has been a focal point when lawmakers on Capitol Hill have discussed the shutdown’s negative impact.

Trump did not say where he’s getting the money

Trump said in a social media post that he was acting because “our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.”

The Republican president’s directive removes one of the pressure points that could have forced Congress into action, likely ensuring that the shutdown now in its 11th day and counting — extends into a third week and possibly beyond. But no similar action seems forthcoming for federal employees also working without pay while thousands are now being laid off during the lapse in government operations. The White House budget office started the layoffs on Friday Trump blamed Democrats and said he was exercising his authority as commander in chief to direct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th.” The Republican president added, “We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.”

U.S service members were in danger of not receiving their next pay-

One pos si ble source would be the billions of dollars that were pumped into the Defense Department under Trump’s big tax and spending cut bill that he signed into law in July The Congressional Budget Office said such a move was possible. A spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget said Pentagon research and development funds would be used to pay the salaries. Federal workers typically receive back pay after a shutdown ends, as now required by a law that Trump signed during his first term. He recently floated the idea of not making up the lost salaries. It was unclear if the president’s directive applies to the U.S. Coast Guard, which is a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces but is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime. The nation’s third shutdown in 12 years has again raised anxiety levels among service members and their families as those in uniform are working without pay. While they would receive back pay once the impasse ends, many military families live paycheck to paycheck. During previous shutdowns, Congress passed legislation to ensure that troops kept earning their salaries, but discussion of taking a similar step by lawmakers appeared to have fizzled out.

If a president invokes the Insurrection Act, they can dispatch active duty military in states that fail to put down an insurrection or defy federal law However, Perry said she found no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump’s immigration crackdown.

She followed up Friday with an opinion that cites a mix of law and history, including the Federalist Papers, which were written in 1787-88 to support ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

“There has been no showing that the civil power has failed,” Perry said. “The agitators who have violated the law by attacking federal authorities have been arrested. The courts are open, and the marshals are ready to see that any sentences of imprisonment are carried out. Resort to the military to execute the laws is not called for.”

Trump

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EMILIO MORENATTI

People take part in a rally Saturday in support of hostages kidnapped by Hamas at a plaza known as hostages square, in Tel Aviv Israel, ahead of the expected release of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

TENNESSEE

No survivors in blast at explosives factory, sheriff says

BY ADRIAN SAINZ and TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press

McEWEN, Tenn.

— The blast in rural Tennessee that leveled an explosives plant and was felt for miles around left no survivors, authorities said Saturday

The total number of dead was unclear, as was the cause of the Friday blast. By the weekend the devastation came into focus, with officials saying they had found no survivors.

“There’s a gauntlet of emotions there,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said during a news conference, pausing to clear his throat before he asked for prayers for the families of the victims in a shaky voice.

“We’ve recovered no survivors,” he added.

State officials brought in a “rapid DNA” team to help identify the remains of peo-

ing a tornado. We’re dealing with explosions. And I would say at this time, we’re dealing with remains,” he said.

Guy McCormick, a supervisory special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said explosive specialists and bomb technicians are trying to make the area safe before national ATF investigators arrive. He said the nature of the scene can change because of the heat and pressure caused by the explosion.

Davis said it could be days, weeks or even months before foul play is ruled out.

est homes dot the wooded landscape, residences belonging to “good old country people,” as local man Terry Bagsby put it.

Bagsby, 68, is retired but he helps out working the register at a gas station near the site. He said people in the close-knit community are “very very sad.”

He said he knows people who worked at the site and are missing.

“I don’t know how to explain it Just a lot of grief.”

ers’ shoulders. Some wept softly, among the whispered prayers.

The company’s website says it processes explosives and ammunition at an eight-building facility that sprawls across wooded hills in the Bucksnort area, about 60 miles southwest of Nashville. It’s not immediately known how many people work at the plant or how many were there when the explosion happened.

ple recovered at the site. The explosion left a smoldering wreck of twisted metal and burned-out vehicles at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant, which supplies and researches explosives for the military Davis said about 300 responders are working in a

“slow, methodical method” as they deal with explosive material that has been damaged and remains volatile. An ambulance and a helicopter used for air evacuations were brought in, for the safety of first responders.

“It’s not like working an accident. It’s not like work-

Mangione’s lawyers seek dismissal of federal charges in CEO slaying case

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER

Associated Press

NEW YORK Lawyers for Lu-

igi Mangione asked a New York federal judge Saturday to dismiss some criminal charges, including the only count for which he could face the death penalty, from a federal indictment brought against him in the December assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive.

In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers said prosecutors should also be prevented from using at trial his statements to law enforcement officers and his backpack where a gun and ammunition were found.

They said Mangione was not read his rights before he was questioned by law enforcement officers, who arrested him after Brian Thompson was fatally shot as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. They added that officers did not obtain a warrant before searching Mangione’s backpack. Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference. The killing set off a multistate search after the sus-

pected shooter slipped away from the scene and rode a bike to Central Park, before taking a taxi to a bus depot that offers service to several nearby states.

Five days later a tip from a McDonald’s about 233 miles away in Altoona, Pennsylvania, led police to arrest Mangione. He has been held without bail since then.

In their submission, defense lawyers provided a minute-by-minute description of how police officers apprehended a cooperative Mangione, including a photograph from a police bodyworn camera of the suspect initially sitting alone at a table with a white mask covering nearly all of his face.

The site is located in a heavily wooded area of middle Tennessee, between the economically vital Tennessee River to the west and the bustling metropolis of Nashville to the east Mod-

On Saturday afternoon inside a church in McEwen, about 30 people prayed together with a pastor for the victims of the explosions and their families. As they prayed, music played and mourners bowed their heads and closed their eyes.

Some knelt at an altar, placing their hands on each oth-

Accurate Energetic Systems, based in nearby McEwen, said in a post on social media on Friday that their “thoughts and prayers” are with the families and community impacted.

“We extend our gratitude to all first responders who continue to work tirelessly under difficult conditions,” the post said.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OBED LAMy

Family members gather Saturday at Accurate Energetic Systems, an explosives plant in Bucksnort, Tenn., after a deadly blast leveled the factory on Friday

Oscar-winning actor Diane Keaton dies at 79

Star known for ‘Annie Hall,’ ‘The Godfather’ films and ‘Father of the Bride’

BY LINDSEY BAHR AP film writer

Diane Keaton, the Oscarwinning star of “Annie Hall,” “The Godfather” films and “Father of the Bride,” whose quirky vibrant manner and depth made her one of the most singular actors of a generation, has died. She was 79.

People Magazine reported Saturday that she died in California with loved ones, citing a family spokesperson. No other details were immediately available, and representatives for Keaton did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Associated Press.

The unexpected news was met with shock around the world.

“She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star What you saw was who she was oh, la, lala!,” Bette Midler said in a post on Instagram. She and Keaton costarred in “The First Wives Club.”

Keaton was the kind of actor who helped make films iconic and timeless, from her “La-dee-da la-dee-da” phrasing as Annie Hall, bedecked in that necktie, bowler hat, vest and khakis, to her heartbreaking turn as Kay Adams, the woman unfortunate enough to join the Corleone family

Her star-making performances in the 1970s, many of which were in Woody Allen films, were not a flash in the pan either, and she would continue to charm new generations for decades thanks in part to a long-standing collaboration with filmmaker Nancy Meyers.

She played a businessperson who unexpectedly inherits an infant in “Baby Boom,” the mother of the bride in the beloved remake of “Father of the Bride,” a newly single woman in “The First Wives Club,” and a divorced playwright who gets involved with Jack Nicholson’s music executive in “Something’s Gotta Give.”

Keaton won her first Oscar for “Annie Hall” and would go on to be nominated three more times, for “Reds,” “Marvin’s Room” and “Something’s Gotta Give.”

In her very Keaton way, upon accepting her Oscar in 1978 she laughed and said, “This is something.”

Keaton was born Diane Hall in January 1946 in Los Angeles, though her family was not part of the film industry she would find herself in. Her mother was a homemaker and photographer, and her father was in real estate and civil engineering.

Keaton was drawn to theater and singing while in school in Santa Ana, California, and she dropped out of college after a year to make a go of it in Manhattan. Actors’ Equity already had a Diane Hall in their ranks, and she took Keaton, her mother’s maiden name, as her own.

She studied under Sanford Meisner in New York and has credited him with giving her the freedom to “chart the complex terrain of human behavior within the safety of his guidance. It made playing with fire fun.”

“More than anything, Sanford Meisner helped me learn to appreciate the darker side of behavior,” she wrote in her 2012 memoir, “Then Again.” “I always had a knack for sensing it but not yet the courage to delve into such dangerous, illuminating territory.”

She started on the stage as an understudy in the Broadway production for “Hair,” and in Allen’ s “Play It Again, Sam” in 1968, for which she would receive a Tony nomination. And yet she remained

deeply self-conscious about her appearance and battled bulimia in her 20s.

Keaton made her film debut in the 1970 romantic comedy “Lovers and Other Strangers,” but her big breakthrough would come a few years later when she was cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather,” which won best picture and become one of the most beloved films of all time. And yet even she hesitated to return for the sequel though after reading the script she decided otherwise. She summed up her role as Kay, a “role she never related to” even though she savored memories of acting with Al Pacino.

The 1970s were an incredibly fruitful time for Keaton thanks in part to her ongoing collaboration with Allen in both comedic and dramatic roles She appeared in “Sleeper,” “Love and Death,” “Interiors,” Manhattan,” “Manhattan Murder Mystery” and the film version of “Play it Again, Sam.”

Allen and the late Marshall Brickman gave Keaton one of her most iconic roles in “Annie Hall,” the infectious woman from Chippewa Falls

whom Allen’s Alvy Singer cannot get over The film is considered one of the great romantic comedies of all time, with Keaton’s eccentric, self-deprecating Annie at its heart

In The New York Times, critic Vincent Canby wrote, “As Annie Hall, Miss Keaton emerges as Woody Allen’s Liv Ullman His camera finds beauty and emotional resources that somehow escape the notice of other directors. Her Annie Hall is a marvelous nut.”

She acknowledged parallels between Annie Hall and real life, while also downplaying them.

“My last name is Hall Woody and I did share a significant romance, according to me, anyway,” she wrote. “I did want to be a singer I was insecure, and I did grope for words.”

Keaton and Allen were also in a romantic relationship, from about 1968, when she met him while auditioning for his play, until about 1974. Afterward they remained collaborators and friends.

“He was so hip, with his

thick glasses and cool suits,” Keaton wrote in her memoir

“But it was his manner that got me, his way of gesturing, his hands, his coughing and looking down in a self-deprecating way while he told jokes.”

She was also romantically linked to Pacino, who played her husband in “The Godfather,” and Warren Beatty who directed her and whom she co-starred with in “Reds.” She never married but did adopt two children when she was in her 50s: a daughter, Dexter, and a son, Duke.

“I figured the only way to realize my number-one dream of becoming an actual Broadway musical comedy star was to remain an adoring daughter Loving a man, a man, and becoming a wife, would have to be put aside,” she wrote in the memoir

“The names changed, from Dave to Woody then Warren, and finally Al. Could I have made a lasting commitment to them? Hard to say Subconsciously I must have known it could never work, and because of this they’d never get in the way

of achieving my dreams.” Not all of Keaton’s roles were home runs, like her foray into action in George Roy Hill’s John le Carré adaptation of “Little Drummer Girl.” But in 1987 she’d begin another long-standing collaboration with Nancy Meyers, which would result in four beloved films. Reviews for that first outing, “Baby Boom,” directed by Charles Shyer, might have been mixed at the time but Pauline Kael even described Keaton’s as a “glorious comedy performance that rides over many of the inanities.” Their next team-up would be in the remake of “Father of the Bride,” which Shyer directed and co-wrote with Meyers. She and Steve Martin played the flustered parents to the bride which would become a big hit and spawn a sequel. In 2003, Meyers would direct her in “Something’s Gotta Give,” a romantic comedy in which she begins a relationship with a playboy womanizer, played by Jack Nicholson, while also being pursued by a younger doctor, played by Keanu Reeves. Her character Erica Barry, with her beautiful Hamptons home and ivory outfits was a key inspiration for the recent coastal grandmother fashion trend. It earned her what would be her last Oscar nomination and, later, she’d call it her favorite film. She also directed occasionally, with works including an episode of “Twin Peaks,” a Belinda Carlisle music video and the sister dramedy “Hanging Up,” which she co-wrote with Delia Ephron and starred in alongside Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow Keaton continued working steadily throughout the 2000s, with notable roles in “The Family Stone,” as a dying matriarch reluctant to give her ring to her son, in “Morning Glory,” as a morning news anchor, and the “Book Club” films.

By The Associated Press

Power was restored to over 800,000 residents in Kyiv on Saturday a day after Russia launched major attacks on the Ukrainian power grid that caused blackouts across much of the country, and European leaders agreed to proceed toward using hundreds of billions of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s war effort.

Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said “the main work to restore the power supply” had been completed, but that some localized outages were still affecting the Ukrainian capital following Friday’s “massive” Russian attacks.

Russian drone and missile strikes wounded at least 20 people in Kyiv damaged

residential buildings and triggered blackouts across swaths of Ukraine early Friday.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko described the attack as “one of the largest concentrated strikes” against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday said the strikes had targeted energy facilities supplying Ukraine’s military It did not give details of those facilities, but said Russian forces used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and strike drones against them.

Ukraine’s air force said Saturday that its air defenses intercepted or jammed 54 of 78 Russian drones launched against Ukraine overnight, while Russia’s defense ministry said it had shot down 42

Ukrainian drones over Russian territory

At least two people were killed and five wounded in airstrikes on Kostiantynivka a city in Ukraine’s Donetsk region Saturday, regional Gov Vadim Filashkin said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that he had a “very positive and productive” phone call with President Donald Trump.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said he told Trump about Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy system, and that the two discussed opportunities to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense. “There needs to be readiness on the Russian side to engage in real diplomacy — this can be achieved through strength,” Zelenskyy wrote.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHRIS PIZZELLO

Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning star of ‘Annie Hall,’ ‘The Godfather’ films and ‘Father of the Bride,’ has died at age 79, according to reports.

economy and otherdeeply rooted quality-of-life issues.

Aflood of financial and institutional backingthat Moreno secured leading up to the race made it difficult forher twomajor opponents to maneuverinthe primary

In total, her campaign raised more than $3 million in just under ayear in which she was officially campaigning, according to state ethics filings. She racked up endorsementafter endorsement —from former congressman Cedric Richmond,U.S. Rep. Troy Carter,former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Kamala Harris, District Acouncil member JoeGiarrusso anda slewof others.

“She had the money,” said Ed Chervenak, apolitical scientist who runs the University of New Orleans’ Survey Research Center.“She ran numerous ads. She’s beeneverywhere.”

Path to themayor’s office Moreno was born in Xalapa, Mexico, and mostly grew up in Houston. She studied journalism at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and moved to New Orleans for areportingjob with WDSU-TV in the early 2000s.

She has long credited the experience of covering Hurricane Katrina for motivating her turn to politics, which began with along-shot bid for Congress in 2008 in which Moreno finished secondto the embattled incumbent, Bill Jefferson. She won her first political seat two years later in the Louisiana House.

In the state House, where she authored legislation reforming the ways the criminal justice system treats domestic violence victims, and later on the City Council, Morenobuilt name recognitionand grassroots relationships that bolstered her status as one of Louisiana’smost prominent progressives.

Yetshe also spent those years courting relationships with establishment power brokers whose support would pay dividends for her mayoral bid.

On the City Council, Moreno and another member, JP Morrell, emerged as foils to the mayor as Cantrell became increasingly unpopular and mired in scandal. Morrell at times took amore fiery,public-facing roleas the council pushed aseries of efforts to erode Cantrell’s power and expand the legislative branch’srole in delivering city services.

Thecouncilsecured asettlement with New Orleans School Board and funding for anew Sewerage &Water Board power station, among other efforts that Moreno and her supporters raised up as victories in their clashes with Cantrell.

Cantrell’s supporters have accused Moreno of touting initiatives that had little substantive effect on city ser-

in fromDetroitfor the pri-

While someCityCouncil races remained too close to

callSaturdaynight,Moreno’svictory already appears set to reshape the dynamic between the legislative and executive branches of government. Forthe next four years, she will have asteadfast ally atop the council in Morrell, who coastedtovictory against challenges from lesser-knowncandidates. Moreno had also secured the endorsementofDistrict B council member Lesli Harris, who automatically won reelection in July after no other candidates qualified to challenge her Moreno and the newslate of council members are set to be inaugurated Jan. 12. EmialJames Finn at jfinn@theadvocate.com.

vices. Moreno’scampaign hassaidthatshe and other councilmembers stepped up in areas where Cantrell’s administration was faltering, while alsoserving as a watchdog on alleged dysfunction andimproprieties in the executive branch.

Atumultuouscampaign

The most consistent attacks Morenofaced on the campaign trail came from Duplessis, whoaccused her of fomenting “chaos” within City Hall through the City Council’sclashes with Cantrell.

Duplessis’ inaugural TV spot of therace channeled that message. Hehammered Moreno in subsequent live TV debates about how adonorhad described race in an email, as well as Moreno’s City Council record. Later analysts would say that Duplessis’ focusonattackingthe front-runner meant he missed opportunities to introduce himself and build his name recognition.

Moreno’s outright victory

appeared to affirm what polling has suggested for months: that the council’s leadership has remained widely popular through itsperiod of conflict with Cantrell, while Cantrell’s approval cratered.

“The cityknows why we’re in chaos andthe reasonbehind that,” Moreno said in an interview last month

Though Moreno is White and Hispanic, she marshaled support from many of New Orleans’ most influential Black political and community leaders —alist that includes political heavyweights likeRichmond and District Attorney Jason Williams, but also communitylevel figures like church pastor Tyrone Smithand 8th Ward Black Seminoles Chief Kenny Young.

“Those of us here and all over the city have decided thatHelena Moreno is the bestperson to get thejob done,” Barbara Major,aveteran racial justice organizer, saidatMoreno’swatch party as votes poured in.

Among those in the audience at the Civic were Roop Raj, Moreno’sonetime WDSU co-anchor whoflew

mary.

Mayor-elect

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

Royce Duplessis delivershis concession speechinNew Orleans on Saturday.

Fandal defeatsBorchertinSlidell mayor’srace

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

Randy Fandal won aspecial electionSaturdayto become Slidell’smayor,capping acampaign he formally launchedinJanuary when former Mayor Greg Cromer announced hisresignation and becoming the third police chief to make the jump to the mayor’soffice.

Fandal, the city’spolice chief since 2016, will serve the remainder of Cromer’s term, which runs through June 2026. With his election as mayor, anew leader will now have to be tapped to lead the Slidell Police Department.

Forcomplete results, go to geauxvote.com. D=Democrat N=NoParty Affiliation R=Republican Formorecoverage of local elections, visit our election page at nola.com. D=Democratic R=Republican I=Independent G=Green NP =NoParty *incumbent JEFFERSON PARISH 1of1precinct MAYOROFJEAN LAFITTE

Yvette R. Crain, R.............98% Wilfred Wyman, D .2%

PARISH 349 of 349 precincts SHERIFF

Susan Hutson, D .17%

Ernesteayo J. “Ernest” LeeSr., R 5%

Robert “Bob”

Murray,D 2%

Julian Parker, D 2%

Edwin Mark Shorty Jr.,D .21% Michelle Woodfork, D 53%

Completebut unofficial returns show Fandal with 72% to Borchert’s28% Both candidates are Republicans. “I love theCity of Slidell andamproud to callithome,”

Fandalsaid Saturdaynight afterthe returns camein. “I can’ttell you how ready Iamtoget to work. I’ve listened to the peopleand look forward to representingthem with transparency,integrity,and accountability.Our best days lie ahead.”

Fandal, 65, was seeking to becomethe thirdpolice chief to be voted into the mayor’soffice since 2002, following Ben Morris and Freddy Drennan. Borchert, 61, was seeking to take an-

NEW ORLEANS MAYOR Joseph “Joe” Bikulege Jr., NP 0% “MannyChevrolet” Bruno, NP 0% RussellJ.Butler,NP 0% Eileen Carter, NP 0% Renada Collins, NP 0% Royce Duplessis, D 22% Arthur Hunter, D 0% FrankRobert Janusa, R 2% Helena Moreno, D 55%

FrankM.Scurlock, NP 0% Oliver Thomas, D 19% Richard“Ricky” Twiggs, NP 1% CLERK CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT

Calvin Duncan, D 47% (r) Darren Lombard, D 46% (r) Valencia Miles, NP 7%

ASSESSOR Coreygerard Dowden, NP 2%

Casius H. Pealer III, D 28% Earl “Jay”Schmitt Jr.,R 8% Erroll G. Williams, D 61%

COUNCIL MEMBER AT-LARGE,DIVISION1

Delisha Boyd,D 31% Matthew “Matt” Hill, R 9% Matthew Willard, D 59%

COUNCIL MEMBER AT-LARGE,DIVISION2 Kenneth Cutno,D 11%

other step up in his political history— from district council member to at-large council member to being elected mayor Saturday’selectionwas the culmination of months of back and forth between thecandidates’ supporters, many of whom took to social media to bicker witheachother. Almost from the start, it was divisive as some Fandal supporters were critical of Borchert for not adding the words “interim” or “acting” mayor to his title when he moved into the Mayor’sOffice at City Hall.

Per the city’scharter, Borchert became mayor when Cromer stepped down

Gregory Manning,D 24%

J.P. Morrell, D*..................66%

COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT A

Holly Friedman, D 39% (r)

Aimee McCarron, D 32% (r)

“Alex” Mossing,D 6%

Robert “Bob” Murrell, NP 14%

Bridget Neal, R 9%

COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT C

EliotS.Barron,G 2%

Kelsey Foster, D 30%

Jackson Kimbrell, NP 4%

Freddie King III, D* ..........64%

COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT D Belden “Noonie Man” Batiste, D 21%

Eugene Green, D*............67%

Leilani Heno,NP 12%

COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT E RichardBell Sr., D 4%

KimberlyBurbank, D 4%

Danyelle Christmas, D 3%

Jason Hughes, D 36% (r)

Nathaniel Jones, NP 1%

Willie Morgan, D 4% Cyndi Nguyen, D 46% (r) GavinRichard, NP 1%

Jonathan Anthony Roberts, NP 1%

because Borchert was the atlarge council member who had received the mostvotes in thepreviouscouncil election.

Borchert, meanwhile, made no bonesabout the fact thatheplanned to run as an incumbent, saying early on thathis months in the mayor’s office would be achance for voters to seehe could do thejob well.

“It’snot sort of being the mayor.It’sbeing the mayor,” he said during aJanuary interview

As he campaigned, Borchert pushedaplatform of his experience in city government and running small businesses. He said that Fandal lacked his vision, and was acandidate with alongtime lawenforcement background but little government

or business experience. Fandalcounteredthathis work in lawenforcement, whichincludes alongstint withthe Louisiana State Police, requiredhim to run large departments. Running the police department, he said, is essentially an administrativejob that includes a lotofthe samepoliticalinteraction as amayor or city government leader

During thecampaign, Fandal said anyone interested in how the city would look like under his watch just needed to take alook at the police department. He noted that he successfully campaigned last year fora policesales tax that replaced two property taxes and would bring in additional revenuesto cover needed salary increases and cover the cost anew

police headquarters facility

“Slidell doesn’tjust need a mayor,” Fandal said during an interviewinSeptember

“Slidell needs avoice forthe eastern side of the parish.” Voter turnoutwas 26.4% That’slower than the30% turnout in the 2018 mayor’s race, but notasbad as the candidates had feared during the campaign. Meanwhile, there’sa chance the twocould meet up againnextspring. While Fandal won the right to have the office through next June, voters will head back to the pollsonApril 18 forthe city’s regular schedule of elections, including policechief, city council and mayor The winners of those electionswill takeoffice in July 2026 for full four-year terms.

HOME RULE CHARTER

AMENDMENT PROPOSITION

Amend the city’shome rule charter to provide that no law shall arbitrarily and unreasonably discriminate against aperson based on conviction history YES. 75% NO 25%

MANOR IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT PROPOSITION Levy an annual fee on each parcel in the Castle Manor Improvement District for five years to fund roughly $65,000 in beautification and security efforts. The fees would be up to $100 per residentially zoned parcel for three years and $125 for the next two years, and up to $200 per commercially zoned parcel for the first

Judge: Trump cannot put conditions on domestic violence grants

BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot put conditions on grants that fund efforts to combat domestic violence, including barring groups from promoting diversity, equity and inclusion or providing abortion resources.

U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose in Providence, Rhode Island, granted a motion by 17 statewide anti-domestic and sexual violence coalitions for a preliminary injunction, which blocks the Trump administration from enforcing its conditions while the

lawsuit plays out.

“Without preliminary relief, the Plaintiffs will face irreparable harm that will disrupt vital services to victims of homelessness and domestic and sexual violence,” DuBose wrote in her ruling. “On the contrary, if preliminary relief is granted, the Defendants will merely need to revert back to considering grant applications and awarding funds as they normally would.” DuBose, however, went further in the scope of her ruling. She ruled that the decision preventing these grant conditions went beyond plaintiffs and will apply to anyone applying for money doled out by the U.S. Department of

tainees escaped through a hole in a cell wall behind a toilet.

“I promise to be a sheriff you can be proud of, a true community partner,” Woodfork said. “I will ensure we operate a safe and secure jail... a jail where no one leaves until their release date.”

“I’m proud of my work, and I trust the people of the city,” Hutson said in a brief appearance after the race was called. The election results capped a four-year fall for Hutson. The former New Orleans independent police monitor rode a national wave of post-George Floyd policing reforms in 2021 to pull off a stunning upset over former Sheriff Marlin Gusman, a 17-year incumbent.

But Hutson was unable to deliver on her chief campaign promise: blocking construction of an 89-bed jail addition scheduled to open next year And after a tumultuous term marked by a number of administrative controversies, the biggest of all came in May, when 10 de-

The hand-scribbled message they left for their jailers, “To (sic) easy lol,” was broadcast around the world and became easy fodder for Hutson’s opponents. All escapees were eventually recaptured, though one — convicted murderer Derrick Groves remained on the run for five months until he was apprehended just Wednesday in Atlanta.

Opponents latched onto Hutson’s controversies, portraying Hutson not only as a sheriff whose management style was criticized in lawsuits from former top deputies, or who couldn’t win approval for her budget requests from the New Orleans City Council. She had also failed at her chief job of securing the jail she runs, they argued. Aside from Woodfork and Shorty three other challengers entered the race: former Criminal District Court Judge Julian Parker and former Orleans Parish sheriff’s deputies Bob Murray and Ernesteayo J. “Ernest” Lee Sr

Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Organizations serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing homelessness should not be forced to abandon their work, erase the identities of those they serve, or compromise their values just to keep their doors open,” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which was one of the groups representing plaintiffs, said in a statement. “This unlawful and harmful policy puts extreme schemes ahead of people’s dignity and safety by restricting essential

federal support.”

Emily Martin, chief program officer at the National Women’s Law Center, one of five organizations representing the coalitions, also welcomed the ruling.

“When this administration claims to be targeting ‘illegal DEI’ and ‘gender ideology,’ what it is really trying to do is strip life-saving services from survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence, LGBTQ+ youth, and people without homes,” Martin said “Today’s order makes clear that these federal grants exist to serve people in need, not to advance a regressive political agenda.” Neither HUD nor HHS respond-

ed to a request for comment. In their July lawsuit, the groups said the Trump administration was putting them in a difficult position. If they don’t apply for federal money allocated under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, they might not be able to provide rape crisis centers, battered women’s shelters and other programs to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. But if the groups do apply, they said they would be forced to “fundamentally change their programming, abandon outreach methods and programs designed to best serve their communities, and risk exposing themselves to ruinous liability.”

Woodfork’s rise

Woodfork announced she was opposing Hutson in February, backed by a coalition of local politicians that included Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, who hired her after she left the police force.

Shorty announced his run shortly after The niece of Warren Woodfork, the New Orleans Police Department’s first Black superintendent, Michelle Woodfork was named interim chief in December 2022 after then-Superintendent Sean Ferguson retired. She was one of three finalists for the permanent chief’s job and was seen at the time

as Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s preferred candidate.

But Woodfork was on thin ice with Cantrell over a decision to uphold NOPD’s discipline of Cantrell’s bodyguard and alleged paramour, Jeffrey Vappie, federal prosecutors later alleged in an indictment of Vappie. He faced departmental allegations of falsifying timesheets for his work on the mayor’s security details.

Cantrell ultimately chose Anne Kirkpatrick for superintendent after a national search.

Hutson’s criticisms Hutson appeared to be a vulnerable incumbent even before the May escape.

Though she secured a pair of raises for deputies, she’s maintained that her office is badly underfunded, and the City Council has stiff-armed her requests for major budget increases.

Voters did the same in April 2023, sending a proposed millage increase to a bad defeat at the polls.

Meanwhile, Hutson faced criticism from Inspector General Ed Michel for “wasteful and unnecessary” French Quarter hotel rooms she booked for deputies during Carnival in 2023. Two top deputies said in a pair of whistleblower lawsuits that Hutson fired them after they questioned those expenses, claims she has denied.

Dooky Chase’s restaurant. In March, Hutson’s approval rating hovered around 40%, the lowest of any local law enforcement official. A month after the escape, it dropped to 18%.

The state Ethics Board later said Hutson skirted state laws by authorizing $55,000 in Sheriff’s Office payments to the son of her former campaign chair Those ethics charges have not been resolved.

“I will bring integrity — let me say that again — I will bring integrity and leadership in managing the Sheriff’s Office,” Woodfork said to applause at her campaign launch event in February at

Viable challenger Shorty, the elected constable in Algiers since 2013, was seen for months as a viable challenger He picked up a handful of notable endorsements, including from U.S. Rep. Troy Carter He also raised more than $150,000, second to Woodfork’s roughly $367,000, according to early-October campaign finance reports. Shorty spent heavily on TV and digital advertising in the race’s closing weeks, largely attacking Woodfork’s NOPD disciplinary history But he consistently trailed Woodfork in polling, and the race’s last third-party poll in late September showed him having

Trucefizzles as U.S.-China tradetensionsboilagain

BY MATT SEDENSKY AP national writer

NEW YORK For months, bubbling trade tensions betweenChina andthe U.S. seemed to calm to asimmer,with words like “thaw” and “truce” swapped in for warnings of economic “war ” Now,hostilities appearto be returning to full boil.

Aseries of tit-for-tat moves this week by the two superpowers has thrust trade hostilities back in the global spotlight, roiling markets and raising alarmsof what might come next.

“Let’spoke the bear again,” economist Aleksandar Tomic, an associatedean at Boston College, said of the renewed sparring. “Let’sstir the hornet’snest.”

Tensions roil markets

Tensions between China and the U.S. transcend any presidency or political party.But Donald Trump’sreturn to the White House has brought new levels of rancor Avolley of tariffs were introduced, raised and reducedin the year’sfirst half, igniting retaliation from Chinese leaderXiJinping. But more recently,several months of relative calm had prevailed. That truce showed signs of fizzling this week, though,

with China announcingstrict new limitsonexportsofrare earth mineralscrucial to high-tech products.Trump, in turn,threatenedanadditional 100% tax on Chinese imports by Nov.1and export controls on American software. Both sides also hit oneanother’sships with new port fees.

Whether public moves by Washington and Beijing are meant to advanceprivate talks between the two sides is unknown. Butthey roiled stock markets, with Friday bringing theS&P 500 its worst day since April and anew dose of uncertainty aboutwhat is next.

“Either this is it, thesocalled tariff truce is over and both sides are goingto rapidlyescalateorthese are negotiation talksahead of the talks between Xi and Trump,” said Marc Chandler,chief market strategist at Bannockburn Capital Markets in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Jostlingfor advantage

With so much unknown about any possiblebehindthe-scenes negotiations between thetwo nations, it is hard to gauge who might have theupper hand.

ButChina may sense an opening, withTrump challenged by agovernment

shutdown and the impacts of the ongoing trade war

American soybean farmers wholongreliedonChinese sales arenow being passedoverfor exports from Brazil, Argentina and elsewhere. U.S. investors have happily watched marketsdriven upward by

excitement over artificial intelligence, but China dominates theworld in the rare earth minerals that are key to technological hardware. American consumers who have cometoexpect an endless supply of cheap goods that rolloff Chinese conveyorbelts arebracingfor

higher prices.

“It becomes an issue of who can replace supply chains faster.And, at least right now, Ithink China is winning that one,” Tomic said. “I don’tknowwhatthe cycleofasoybean is,but I betyou can grow asoybean faster than youcan build a

toy factory.”

Emptythreats or strategy

Trumphas suggested a deal is still possible. He has frequently made threats that turn outtobe empty,used as part of anegotiating strategy.For now, Trump hasnot formally canceled ameeting planned with Xi later this month on the sidelines of the AsiaPacific EconomicCooperation summit, though he said nothing wascertain.

“I don’tknow that we’re going to have it,”hesaidin the Oval Office on Friday “I’m goingtobethere regardless, so Iwould assume we might have it.”

Chandlersaiditmight appear to be asudden, dramatic blowup between the U.S. andChina,but it is really just more of thesamefrom twoparties embroiledinan acrimonious, long-running feud.

“It’ssortoflikea divorce: Thewifeand thehusband are accusing one another of things that, from the outside, look more complicated,” Chandler said. “This kind of storydoesn’t have agood guy.Wewant to have agood guy and avillain. But these are just two large countries both seeking national advantage.”

BY KATIE ADKINS and JEFF MARTIN Associated Press

LELAND,Miss. High school homecoming celebrations in Mississippi ended in gunfire, with twoseparate shootings on opposite sides of the state Friday night that left at least eight people dead and many more injured, authorities said.

Six were killed in downtown Leland after ahigh school football homecoming game in the MississippiDelta

region onthe state’s western edge, accordingto thecounty coroner.On the east side of the state,apregnant woman wasamong the dead, Mississippi Gov.Tate Reeves said.

In Leland, four peoplewere killed andtwo diedlater at ahospital, according to a statement from Washington County CoronerLa’Quesha Watkins.

Some 20 people were injured in the gunfire after people gathered in the downtown area followingthe game, state Sen. Derrick Simmons said.

Of those,four were in criticalcondition andwereflown from ahospitalinnearby Greenvilletoalarger medical center in the state capital, Jackson,Simmons told The Associated Press. He was being updated on developments from law enforcement authoritiesinthe Delta.

On Saturday,pieces of tattered, yellow crime scene tape were wrapped around a pole in the city’s tiny downtown area. The police tape could alsobeseen in front of aboarded-up storefront, tan-

gled up at the base of asign commemorating thelate soul singer Tyrone Davis, who was bornnearby No arrests have been announced,and Simmons said lateSaturday morning that he had not heard any information aboutpossible suspects.

Meanwhile, police in the smallMississippi town of Heidelberg in theeastern part of thestate are investigating ashooting during that community’s homecomingweekendthatleft

two people dead

Both of themwerekilled on the school campus Friday night, Heidelberg Police Chief Cornell White said. He declinedtosay whetherthe victims were students or provide other information about the crimes.

“Right now we’ve still got asubject at large, but Ican’t give specifics,” White said Saturday morning.

An 18-year-old man was being sought forquestioning in the Heidelberg shooting,the Jasper County Sheriff’sOf-

fice said in astatement. The sheriff asked that anyone withinformationcontact the policechieforsheriff’s office. The shootinginHeidelberg happened on the school campus where the Heidelberg Oilers were playingtheir homecoming football game Fridaynight.The townof about 640residentsisabout 85 miles southeast of the state capital of Jackson. It wasn’t clear exactly when thegunfire occurred or how close it was to the stadium.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

PresidentDonald Trumpspeaks during an event to announce newtariffs on April 2inthe Rose Garden at the White House in Washington. Tradetensions between China and the United States have returned to afull boil after aseries of tit-for-tat movesthis week by the twosuperpowers.

Crypto spent millions to defeat Sherrod Brown, elect allies

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio At a five-

star resort tucked in the mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the cryptocurrency industry was celebrating a historic start to the year on Capitol Hill. Its priorities were sailing through Congress with unusual speed and one senator did not hesitate to say why Sen. Tim Scott, chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, was asked during the August panel what had changed to clear the way for such progress.

“I got to tell you,” said Scott, R-S.C. “Thank you, to all of y’all, for getting rid of Sherrod Brown,” he said, referring to the Ohio Democrat who lost his Senate seat in 2024 to Republican Bernie Moreno.

Laughter and applause rippled through the room.

“Literally, the industry put Bernie Moreno in the Senate,” he added, according to a video from the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium.

In 2024, crypto interests poured more than $40 million into that race — more than four times their spending in any other Senate contest. Brown, who headed the committee when Democrats held the majority from 2021 to 2025, had long been one of Washington’s toughest critics of digital assets. That spending on behalf of Moreno, a businessman, sent a clear message: Challenge crypto, and the industry will come for you.

Brown, in a comeback bid, is seeking a fourth term next year, and Democrats are hopeful of their chances in an election without Republican President Donald Trump at the top of the ballot. But crypto has even more to spend this cycle and is enjoying a Congress that, without Brown, has turned sharply in its favor

“We saw what happened in the last administration,” Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, the nation’s largest crypto exchange, told The Associated Press. “We’re never gonna let that happen again.”

A pro-crypto Congress

In a striking reversal after the skepticism from Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, Congress this year has acted quickly to embrace the cryptocurrency industry after record spending in last year’s election.

Lawmakers have passed legislation establishing new regulations and consumer protections for stablecoins, a form of cryptocurrency typically tied to the U.S. dollar to limit volatility Now an even bigger priority for the industry — a broader bill aimed at clarifying how digital assets are regulated is advancing through Congress. From the White House, Trump has fully aligned himself with the industry, calling for the United States to become the “crypto capital of the world.” His family has also profited along the way, holding a significant stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture that launched its own stablecoin earlier this year

Supporters say the new policies will strengthen oversight and add consumer safeguards, helping to legiti-

“There’s a large number of people who want to see crypto rules be passed in America. And they’re users of crypto themselves,” Armstrong said.

A significant share of Americans see cryptocurrency investments as a financial hazard Most U.S adults, 55%, say they consider cryptocurrency a “very risky” investment, according to a Pew Research Center poll.

mize a sector long dogged by volatility and scandal — from the collapse of FTX to the conviction of its founder Sam Bankman-Fried

“Americans continue to lose money every day in crypto scams and frauds,” Brown said in a 2023 statement after Bankman-Fried’s conviction. “We need to crack down on abuses and can’t let the crypto industry write its own rulebook.”

As the Senate committee chairman, Brown was an outspoken critic of crypto and warned that digital assets opened the door to money laundering. He held several committee hearings over cryptocurrency issues, ranging from the negative impact on consumers to use of the currencies to fund illicit activities.

During the 2024 campaign, Brown remained defiant despite tens of millions in industry spending against him. He lost to Moreno, who has ties to the crypto industry, by just over 3.5 percentage points.

“Sherrod Brown’s race really indicated that it’s politically unpopular to be anti-crypto,” Armstrong told the AP “There is no constituency for that.”

Crypto reshapes politics

In 2024, the crypto industry spent more than $130 million in congressional races, including $40 million in Ohio and $10 million each in Arizona and Michigan.

The ads rarely mentioned cryptocurrency directly, instead focusing on promoting favored candidates — most often successfully

“DC received a clear message that being anti-crypto is a good way to end your career,” Coinbase’s Armstrong wrote on social media after Brown’s loss.

Brown’s approach to crypto sounds different this time.

“Cryptocurrency is a part of America’s economy,” Brown said in a statement.

“My goal is to make sure that as more people use cryptocurrency, it expands opportunity and lifts up Ohioans and they are not put at risk.”

It is unclear whether Brown will be targeted again. Hundreds of millions are being stockpiled by pro-crypto political action committees, many of which maintain close ties with Trump and congressional conservatives.

Brown is set to face Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to fill Vice President JD Vance’s

seat. Husted has been a reliable crypto ally and backed the GENIUS Act, the legislation regulating stablecoins.

A majority of the crypto dollars spent against Brown last year came from Fairshake, a super PAC backed by Coinbase and others. The super PAC reported $141 million in cash on hand as of July already surpassing what it spent during the 2024 cycle.

Coinbase and the PAC have emphasized that they back candidates from both parties, as long as they are pro-crypto. They have yet to say publicly whether they will spend similarly against Brown.

“Last year, voters sent a clear message that the Sherrod Brown and Elizabeth

Warren agenda was deeply out of touch with Ohio values,” said Fairshake spokesperson Josh Vlasto. “We will continue to support procrypto candidates and oppose anti-crypto candidates — in Ohio and nationwide.” Warren is a Democratic senator from Massachusetts. Fairshake is not alone.

Crypto entrepreneurs Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss have launched a $21 million group to back crypto-friendly Republicans. And another group, the Fellowship PAC, has pledged to spend $100 million in the next cycle.

A new crypto constituency Crypto advocates believe voter sentiment, not spending, is the source of their growing influence.

A relatively small group of U.S. adults say they currently own cryptocurrency, but men under 50 are especially likely to invest in it. Roughly 1 in 4 men in that age group say they own cryptocurrency according to Gallup polling from June. And they’re more open to buying in the future: only 44% say they’re “not interested in ever buying” digital assets, compared to far higher skepticism among older men or women of any age. That enthusiasm — combined with vast industry spending — has helped transform crypto from a niche technology into a potent political force, one now firmly embedded in the country’s financial and political mainstream.

Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSHUA A. BICKEL

Then-U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, speaks on Nov. 5 in Columbus, Ohio. In 2024, crypto interests poured more than $40 million into the race to oust Brown,

EDUCATION

La.community colleges seeenrollmentboost

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

Long considered Louisiana’s “best-kept secret,” the state’s community college system has seen apost-pandemic enrollment resurgence.

Nearly athird of Louisiana’s 280,000 college students last year attended one of the state’s 12 community and technical colleges, working toward atwo-year degree or atechnical certification that costs less and offers a faster path to ajob than afouryearcollege degree. And the number of community college graduateshas nearly tripled over thelast decade, reachingabout 38,000 graduates last year

The students, who tend tobe older and more racially diverse than traditional college students, can train for jobs in everything from welding to nursing and hospitality.They can also take adult education classes in English language, reading and other core subjects.

Often an overlooked facet of thehigher education ecosystem, community and technical colleges have gained traction in recent years as state education officials have emphasized career paths to high-demand, high-wage professions. Last year, enrollment across the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, which oversees the state’scommunity and technical colleges, exceeded pre-pandemic numbers. Chandler LeBoeuf, the system’s vice president of education, has worked at several of its campuses, including South Louisiana Community College, Delgado

Q&A WITH CHANDLER LEBOEUF

VICE PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION FORTHE LOUISIANA COMMUNITy ANDTECHNICAL COLLEGE SySTEM

development.We’re focused purely on getting individuals intogood jobs faster through thequalityoftraining that we do. Ourinstitutionsare aligned to theneeds of their local region and more so aligned to the overall state’sworkforce plan.

How has enrollment changed over the past five years?

Just like the nation we saw a dip in enrollment during thepandemic. Twoofour colleges had an additional dip because of hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. Buttoday we areup3.8% in enrollment from fall 2018 to fall 2025 and up 3.5% in credit hours.

Community College andFletcher Technical Community College.

He said the system’sschools have adapted to make it easier for students to access training in high-demand industries, like health care and IT

“Webelieve our mission is a part of the biggerpictureinLouisiana’s economy andworkforce development and we identify ourselves as akey player,” he said. “Westill have thebest kept secret and it shouldn’tbe.”

TheTimes-Picayune and the Advocatespoke with LeBoeuf about the system’srecent enrollment boom, uncertainty over federal funding and how the state’scommunitycollege systemfits into Louisiana’seconomy

This interview has been edited forclarity.

What role do community collegesplayin Louisiana?

We know that we are essential in the marketplace for workforce

We’re trying to make sure our programs meet demands that industry andlocal employers are hiring for and that programs are not only offered during the day,but alsoonweekends and evenings to meet studentswhere they are.

We’ve also been looking at ways in which we can make our schools more affordable for individuals.Wehave not increased tuition in about thelast 10 years. How areprograms changing to meet demand?

The Louisiana Workforce Investment Council identified five industry sectors as high wage, high demand: health care, construction, manufacturing, transportation and logistics and IT.Thosesectors are where alot of our institutions are expanding programs and course offerings. Local industries are also saying we need those programs For example, acollege might expand aCDL commercial truck

driving programfrom aday program to an evening programand weekend program because it’s important for ourinstitutions to meet individuals where they are. We also have CNA programs that are being delivered in rural communitiesatcommunity centers andthrough mobile training units. An individualmay live an hour to two hours away from the local community college and lack theresources to get there, but if we can bring thema CNA program that’seight weeks in their local community and get them trained and getthem employed at the local health care facility or nursing home, that’stransforming thecommunity Have anyfederal cuts impacted Louisiana’scommunity or technical colleges? Thereisa lotofuncertainty in higher educationacross the boardand we aremonitoring the potential impacts daily.Wehave funding this current fiscal year but areconcernedabout future funding for ouradult education programs. There are 24 centers across our state thatoffer programming for individuals who need help with math skills, Englishskills, English as asecond language or pathways toward earning ahigh school equivalency diploma.Those programs are funded largely through training funds that come from Department of Labor Thosedollars have been in question over the last six months. We did see atwo-month window where they were paused. The whole time we were still delivering on themissionand telling our

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THESTATEHOW TO TACKLE THEBIGGEST CHALLENGES FACINGLOUISIANA SCHOOLS. HAVE AN

24 centers, “Keep delivering and doing whatyou’redoing, we will use the state funds that we have to help cover.” Those funds have been in question, andwe’reunsure if they’re going to remain in question in the future. But what we do knowis we will figure outhow to deliver thatpartofthe mission, no matterwhathappens. It maylook different in terms of howwe deliverit, but it’stoo important nottodeliveritfor the state of Louisiana

Is there anyremaining uncertaintywith cuts given thecurrentfederal landscape? We were tappedtoassist with rapid training andapprenticeships andcredentials for individuals to help with the broadband expansionacrossLouisiana. As theyweretrying to layfiberto getbroadband accesstocommunities thatdidn’thavethe accessorthe resources, they calleduponour localcommunity collegestotrain individuals in trenching andsplicing and laying fiberand otherthings.

We committed to train more than10,000 individuals and originally got$10 million fromthe federal government to do this work, but we exhausted that $10 million. We were slated to getan additional$40 million in funding but it hasbeen pausedatthe federal level.

Anything elseyou want readerstoknow?

We believe ourmission is apart of the biggerpicture in Louisiana’seconomy andworkforce development, andweidentify ourselves as akey player.Werebrandedourselves as the “home of workforceready” over the last year so people would know that oursystemand our12colleges is aplace where youcan come to feel at home andget prepared for opportunitiesinthe workforce.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Health care subsidiesdriving government shutdown

WASHINGTON

—Heading into its thirdweek, the federal governmentshutdownisfast turning into another test of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’sleadership of Republicans

Saying their work was done, the Benton Republican sentthe House home in September and the chamber hasn’tconvened since. That left the majorityRepublican Senate to approve the House-passed resolution that would continue government operationsuntil Thanksgiving

Mark Ballard

Despite daily votes, the Senate can’tdrum up enough Democratic support to pass the continuing resolution that would reopen government.

In the meantime, flights are being canceled and Wednesday’s paychecks for the troops may not be sent.

“I’m avery patient man,but Iamangry right now,” Johnson toldreporters.

Democrats want Republicans to negotiate on several issues, but primarily on an extension of the tax credits millions of lowerincome workers use to buy health careinsurance.Democratssay they don’ttrust Republicans to negotiate in goodfaith, absent their leverage to close agovernment in which the GOP holds all the levers of power Republicans counter that no negotiations are possible until the government reopens.

“If the Speakerdoesn’trelent and these credits expire,people go bankrupt, people will get sick, some will die. Inaction would be reprehensible, and the Speaker needs to realize that,” said MinorityLeader Chuck Schumer,of New York, and head of the Senate’sDemocratic members.

House Majority LeaderSteve

Trump nominees from Louisiana confirmed

The government may beshut down, but the U.S. Senate this week confirmed agroup of President Donald Trump’snominations for offices in his administration, including three from Louisiana.

Capitol Buzz STAFF REPORTS

Among the 107 nominees confirmed en masse was James S Baehr,ofNew Orleans, to beGeneral Counsel at the DepartmentofVeterans Affairs and David A. LaCerte, of Baton Rouge, to be amember of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees wholesale power markets that utilities use as well as the transmission of electricity and natural gas.

Kurt L. Wall, of Livingston, was also confirmed U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana basedinBaton Rouge.

The vote was 51 to 47. With the confirmation last month of New Orleans lawyer Peter Thomsonasthe Central Intelligence Agency’sinspector general, Tuesday’sactionbrings to four the number of Louisiana

Scalise, R-Jefferson, responded:

“Real lives of real people are being disrupted so that Chuck Schumercan show the far-left Marxists in hisparty that he’s having somekind of tantrum and fighting Donald Trump.”

Thestakesofthe fight

If Congress does not takeaction, the price of health insurance would double for many families, which could cause 3.8million households to drop their policies, accordingtothe Congressional Budget Office.

Health care insurance premiumsthat cost anaverage of $888 in 2025 will cost policyholders $1,904 in 2026, according to a KFF analysisreleased last week, unless Congress acts to extend

residents confirmed to postsin theTrump administration.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committeelastweek forwarded the nomination of Metairie lawyerDavidCourcelleasthe U.S Attorneyfor theEastern DistrictofLouisiana, basedinNew Orleans.His nomination now awaits aconfirmation vote by the full Senate.

The U.S.Senate Republican majority used the “nuclear option” to breaka partisan logjam in confirmingTrumpnominees.

TheDemocratic minority insisted on strictly following Senate rules, which slowed the process, as away to protest what they called extreme ideological positions taken by some of Trump’s nominees andfor Republicans refusal to allow Democratic input on other issues.

Changing theprocess, for the first time, allows the Senateto confirm groupsofnominees with asimple majority rather than by 60 votes.

Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said hewould use thenew process on different groups of nominees assoon as practical to finish theconfirmation process andget thecandidates on the job.

Baehrisafounder of the Pelican Center for Justice, an arm of

credits for health care insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Johnson argues there is time to address those concerns.

“That’s aDec. 31 issue.”

Republicans contend that extending theACA premium tax credits is acomplex task with a lot of moving parts that need to be addressed.

ButDemocrats point out that those bills are already in themail.

Enrollment begins on Nov.1

The amount of tax credits allotted to each ACA policyholder is set individually through acomplex formula that includes household incomeand policies chosen.

Very generally,households of four making more than $41,152 annually —those making less

thePelican Institute, aconservativeadvocacy group based in New Orleans. Alieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, he deployed to theMiddle East in 2018. He also was aspecial assistant to Trumpduring thepresident’s first termonthe Domestic Policy Council. Baehralso worked in theU.S. Attorney’sNew Orleans office.

LikeLaCerte, Baehrwas involved in Project 2025, the920page conservative manifesto to change how thefederal governmentoperates.

Aformer Marine who was involved in theAfghanistan conflict, LaCerte joined thestate veterans’ departmentin2010 and was appointed secretary by Gov.Bobby Jindal in June 2014.

He worked at the Office of Personnel Management during the first Trump administration

He was acting managing director at theU.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board and joined Houston-based Baker &Botts law firm, providing regulatoryadvice to large corporations.

Most recently,LaCerte was the WhiteHouse liaison and senior advisor to the director for U.S. Office of Personnel Management,

would qualify forMedicaid —and up to $128,600 can receive some sort of offset formany policies.

Johnson has 40,773 constituents who have bought insurance through the ACA marketplace, according to KFF, anonpartisan thinktankfocusing on health care issues. That accounts forroughly 5% of his congressional district.

That’sasmallpercentage compared to the38% of the 767,466 people Johnson represents who are signedupfor Medicaid —one of the nation’slargest concentrationsofpeople on the state-federal insurance forlow-income and disabled Americans, according to KFF

Apart from the cost —about $350 billion over the next 10 years —conservatives argue that the

where he helped shepherd candidates through the nomination process andadvised on personnel policy for the agency that administers employment forthe 2million federal workers.

Haynie to receive award from Ogden Veteran BatonRouge lobbyist Randy Haynie will be honored at ablack-tie dinnerbythe Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Oct. 18.

He and multimedia artist Dawn DeDeaux are receiving the 2025 Opus Award for their“significant impact within the arts and culture of our region.”

The event will take place at the Patrick F. TaylorLibrary,which theOgden owns Haynie wasa founding member of the museum’sboard and helped secure about $7 million in state dollars 23 years ago to construct its building in New Orleans’Warehouse District.

Haynie, who works with his son Ryan and his daughterDayna, has lobbiedthe governor and

subsidies drive up premium costs foreveryone, including those whobuy insurance through their employer

Additionally,the tax credits that were part of President Barack Obama’sAffordable Care Act were greatly expanded by President Joe Biden in his $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, which was passed with only Democratic votes in 2021.

Biden broadened the income eligibility ceiling on the theory that manywould be ousted from Medicaid rolls that had increased during the COVIDpandemic. Millions shifted from Medicaid to the ACA marketplace.

Those tax credit subsidies were set to expire in 2023. The expiration date was then extended in 2022, when Democrats held majorities in both chambers, to the end of this year

However tangled the premium tax credit issue, someargue the looming price increases complicate Johnson’sposition of ending the shutdownbefore any meaningful discussions can begin on health care.

MAGAcheerleader Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, is but one Republican whosupports extending ACA subsidies before GOPleadership talks through the matter with Democrats.

“I’m going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children’s insurance premiumsfor 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,”she wrote last weekon X.

Even President Donald Trump hinted last week: “Weare speaking with the Democrats, and some very good things could happen with respect to health care.”

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

Legislature since1980 for abevy of heavyweight clients, including the New Orleans Saints, NFL, CaesarsEntertainment, the city andparish of Lafayette and Altria,the tobacco company Haynie,70, is also being honored for his decades of work for the arts community

He currently chairs the Louisiana Endowment forthe Humanitiesand is the past chair of the Hilliard Art Museum in Lafayette. He hasbeenhonored by the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts andthe Acadiana Center for the Arts.

Fordecades,Haynie hasbeen an avid collector of state flags (he hastwo of the four existing Louisiana flags with 18 stars), Louisiana currency(he hasmore than5,000 Louisiana-issued notes going back to 1812 when Louisianabecame astate) and watercolorsand paintings by Louisiana artists.

“I just believe in the culture of Louisiana,” Haynie said. “It’s who we areasa state. It’sthe food, culture,the art, the music —it’sthe quality of life that sets us apart. Otherstates spend millions of dollars trying to replicateorcreatewhatwehave. We alreadyhaveit. And it needs to be protected.”

Haynie

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, holdsa news conference to mark the seventh dayofthe government shutdown on Oct. 7atthe Capitol in Washington.

THE GULF COAST

Emeril’s Coastal restaurant on Fla.

Panhandletoclose

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Forthe pasteightyears, chef Emeril Lagassehas brought ataste of New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle with his seafood restaurant, Emeril’sCoastal, known for specialties like barbecue shrimp and gumbo.

But on Oct. 26, the restaurant —Lagasse’sonly venture along the Florida Gulf Coast —will serve its final meals. The closuremarks the end of one of the region’s few spots for Creole cuisine, an establishment that drew both locals and New Orleanians vacationing at the beach.

“This community holds a special place in my heart. Coastal has been atrue labor of love, and it’sbeen an honor to share it with all of you,” Lagasse said in asocial media post, describing the closure as a“difficult decision.”

The announcement drew dozensofcomments bidding farewell to the restaurant, including one from the beloved vacation spot Scenic Highway 30A, which thanked the chef and his team, adding,“We havehad some wonderful meals and great family memories!”

Emeril’sCoastal —originally named Emeril’s Coastal Italian —opened in 2017 in Destin’sMiramar Beach, joining acluster of restaurants andshops in the Grand Boulevard town center Lagasse called Miramar Beach a“unique” and convenient location for his restaurant in his opening announcement.

“Part of the appealof

PROVIDED PHOTO

By ANDREW COHOON

Emeril Lagasse, owner of Emeril’sCoastal in Destin, Fla., said his restaurant will close Oct. 26.

opening in MiramarBeach and at Grand Boulevardis the proximitytomyhome and theability formywhole family to be involved,”Lagasse said

When the restaurant opened, the kitchen was led by Shane Quinlan, aDestin native who served as chef de cuisine. Thebrunchand dinnermenuswere eclectic, offering arange of Italian, Creole and seafoodcentric fare: stuffed pasta shells, shrimp andandouille gumbo,yellowfin tuna poke bowls.

During therestaurant’s reopeningphasesafter the pandemic, Lagasse was a daily presence atEmeril’s Coastal,working closely alongsidehis sonE.J. Lagasse.

Thatexperience, he said in an interview,fueled him to reopen his Warehouse District restaurant Emeril’s with afresh culinary approach, including anew tastingmenu.

Email Poet Wolfe at poet. wolfe@theadvocate.com.

Fort Walton native reunites strangers with lost items

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

When Joseph Miron dives intothe Gulf or combs itshot sands with ametal detector in search of alost ring,hedoesn’task formoneyinreturn,even when the search stretches on for days.

Hisdays spent scanning thebeaches alongFlorida’s coastfor strangers’ lostjewelry —an$800,000 watch, a gold chain, an engagement ring are rewardednot with payment, but with their reactions once he finds the missingpiece buriedinthe tide or beneathsand, after hope has faded to doubt Miron hasbeenchoked by tight hugs, invited to oyster barsand houses for home-cooked meals, and sometimes offered agenerous tip.

“There’ssomanydifferent reactions. I’m thinking of hundreds of people right now,” he saidrecently

His favorite recoveries, though, are the ones tiedtolove stories —when he returnsawedding ring to acouple married for decades, minutes after theythought they’d lost “a piece of them” forever,hesays. Or when he finds an engagement ring just days after ayoung couple gets engaged arecoverythatoften ends with the fiancee in tears andthe suitor exhaling asigh of relief.

People have long debated whether money buys happiness. For Miron, happinessisreturning something losttoits owner and watching their expression soften.Thatfeeling, he says, is similar to winning the lottery Becoming aring finder

Before it was hislivelihood,metal detecting was ahobby for Miron, a Fort Walton native and veteran.

Mironbegan spending his freetime sweeping beacheswitha detector. Within afew months, strangerswere approaching him on thebeach,asking for help finding theirlostjewelry. It happened so often that eventually, in 2020, Miron decided to turn it into

abusiness, naming it Lost Rings of Destin, Fla.

That same year,MironjoinedThe Ring Finders—aninternational network of ring finders scattered across theglobe, includingthe United States, Europe and South America. He is oneof69inFlorida, and the only ring finder in Destin. But Mironsays only 10% of his calls come from thatnetwork. The rest are from his ownbusiness, built by word-of-mouth —approaching condo associations and lifeguards about hismission —and by posting his finds on social media nearlyev-

eryday

HisFacebook account is followed by 5,000 people. His posts often include astoriedcaption andphotos of himflashing aHawaiian shaka hand sign —thumb andpinky fingers extended—beside ahappy client proudly showing offtheir recovered jewelry

The account especially gained traction after Miron recovered an heirloom belonging to the Capone family at Blue Mountain Beach along Scenic Highway30A

In less than an hour,hefound the gold pendant engravedwith the imageofJesus wearing acrown of thorns.

HowMiron findsthe rings

ForMiron,a search cantakeanywhere from 30 seconds to three days. But it always starts with aphone call. “I’m pretty good at asking the right questions,” he says. “I think that’s something that’salso kind of helped me in doing whatIdo.

He asks the client what they were doing before theylost it. Usually,the answerinvolvessomething active throwing afootballorswimming in the surf —thatcauses the jewelry to slip away

With amilitary background in GPS and coordinates, Miron then asks if they can dropa pin where it happened.

About 40% of the time,hesays, the client can’tremember.When that happens, Miron studies photos or videos taken that day and searches those spots instead

Asuccessful recovery,hesays, “really boils down to them having their location services on theirphone,” even on crowded beaches like Crab Island.

Out of about500 calls, Mironsays he’s recovered 415 pieces.

He’s mailed more than100 of them —cleaned himself with an ultrasonic machineand polishers —tovacationerswho hadalreadylefttown. He reminds clients each time that it isn’tabout themoney: “I tellthem that we do it for the reactions, the emotions, the people.” Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

Joseph Miron searches forjewelry along the Floridacoast.

PROVIDED PHOTOSByJOSEPH MIRON

Joseph Miron scans aFlorida beach withametal detector,searching for lost jewelry.

-Amy G.

Republicans target law protecting marine mammals

BY PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press

BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine Republican lawmakers are targeting one of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, credited with helping save rare whales from extinction.

Conservative leaders feel they now have the political will to remove key pieces of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, enacted in 1972 to protect whales, seals, polar bears and other sea animals. The law also places restrictions on commercial fishermen, shippers and other marine industries.

A GOP-led bill in the works has support from fishermen in Maine who say the law makes lobster fishing more difficult, lobbyists for big-money species such as tuna in Hawaii and crab in Alaska, and marine manufacturers who see the law as antiquated.

Conservation groups adamantly oppose the changes and say weakening the law will erase years of hard-won gains for jeopardized species such as the vanishing North Atlantic right whale, of which there are less than 400, and is vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear

1970s law

“The Marine Mammal Protection Act is important because it’s one of our bedrock laws that help us to base conservation measures on the best available science,” said Kathleen Collins, senior marine campaign manager with International Fund for Animal Welfare.

“Species on the brink of extinction have been brought back.”

It was enacted the year before the Endangered Species Act, at a time when the movement to save whales from extinction was growing. Scientist Roger Payne had discovered that whales could sing in the late 1960s, and their voices soon appeared on record albums and throughout popular culture.

The law protects all marine mammals, and prohibits capturing or killing them in U.S. waters or by U.S. citizens on the high seas. It al-

gray

surveys its surroundings on

off the coast of Brunswick, Maine. Republican lawmakers are targeting one of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, the 1972

Act.

lowed for preventative measures to stop commercial fishing ships and other businesses from accidentally harming animals such as whales and seals. The animals can be harmed by entanglement in fishing gear collisions with ships and other hazards at sea.

The law also prevents the hunting of marine mammals, including polar bears, with exceptions for Indigenous groups. Some of those animals can be legally hunted in other countries.

Oil and gas operations

Republican Rep. Nick Begich, of Alaska, a state with a large fishing industry, submitted a bill draft this summer that would roll back aspects of the law The bill says the act has “unduly and unnecessarily constrained government, tribes and the regulated community” since its inception

The proposal states that it would make changes such as lowering population goals for marine mammals from maximum productivity” to the level needed to “support continued survival.” It would also ease rules on what constitutes harm to marine mammals

For example, the law currently prevents harassment of sea mammals such as whales, and defines

harassment as activities that have “the potential to injure a marine mammal.” The proposed changes would limit the definition to only activities that actually injure the animals. That change could have major implications for industries such as oil and gas exploration where rare whales live.

That poses an existential threat to the Rice’s whale, which numbers only in the dozens and lives in the Gulf of Mexico, conservationists said. And the proposal takes specific aim at the North Atlantic right whale protections with a clause that would delay rules designed to protect that declining whale population until 2035.

Begich and his staff did not return calls for comment on the bill, and his staff declined to provide an update about where it stands in Congress. Begich has said he wants “a bill that protects marine mammals and also works for the people who live and work alongside them, especially in Alaska.”

Fishing groups

A coalition of fishing groups from both coasts has come out in support of the proposed changes. Some of the same groups lauded a previous effort by the Trump administration to reduce regulatory

burdens on commercial fishing.

The groups said in a July letter to House members that they feel Begich’s changes reflect “a positive and necessary step” for American fisheries’ success.

Restrictions imposed on lobster fishermen of Maine are designed to protect the right whale, but they often provide little protection for the animals while limiting one of America’s signature fisheries, Virginia Olsen, political director of the Maine Lobstering Union, said.

The restrictions stipulate where lobstermen can fish and what kinds of gear they can use. The whales are vulnerable to lethal entanglement in heavy fishing rope.

Gathering more accurate data about right whales while revising the original law would help protect the animals, Olsen said.

“We do not want to see marine mammals harmed; we need a healthy, vibrant ocean and a plentiful marine habitat to continue Maine’s heritage fishery,” Olsen said.

Some members of other maritime industries have also called on Congress to update the law The National Marine Manufacturers Association said in a statement that the rules have not kept pace with advancements in the marine

industry making innovation in the business difficult.

Environmentalists fight back

Numerous environmental groups have vowed to fight to save the protection act. They characterized the proposed changes as part of the Trump administration’s assault on environmental protections.

The act was instrumental in protecting the humpback whale, one of the species most beloved by whale watchers, said Gib Brogan senior campaign director with Oceana. Along with other sea mammals, humpbacks would be in jeopardy without it, he said.

“The Marine Mammal Protection Act is flexible. It works. It’s effective. We don’t need to overhaul this law at this point,” Brogan said. Seafood imports

The original law makes it illegal to import marine mammal products without a permit, and allows the U.S. to impose import prohibitions on seafood products from foreign fisheries that don’t meet U.S. standards.

The import embargoes are a major sticking point because they punish American businesses, said Gavin Gibbons, chief strategy officer of the National Fisheries Institute a Virginia-based seafood industry trade group. It’s critical to source seafood globally to be able to meet American demand for seafood, he said.

The National Fisheries Institute and a coalition of industry groups sued the federal government Thursday over what they described as unlawful implementation of the protection act. Gibbons said the groups don’t oppose the act, but want to see it responsibly implemented.

“Our fisheries are well regulated and appropriately fished to their maximum sustainable yield,” Gibbons said. “The men and women who work our waters are iconic and responsible. They can’t be expected to just fish more here to make up a deficit while jeopardizing the sustainability they’ve worked so hard to maintain.”

Some environmental groups said the Republican lawmakers’ proposed changes could weaken American seafood competitiveness by allowing imports from poorly regulated foreign fisheries.

By The Associated Press

L’HAY-LES-ROSES, France

France’s newly reappointed prime minister acknowledged Saturday that there weren’t “a lot of candidates” for his job and that he might not last long in the post given the country’s deep political divides.

Sebastien Lecornu, renamed by President Emmanuel Macron late Friday after a week of political chaos called for calm and for the support of political parties to produce a budget for the European Union’s No. 2 economy before looming deadlines. His appointment is seen as Macron’s last chance to reinvigorate his second term,

which runs until 2027. His centrist camp lacks a majority in the National Assembly and he is facing increasing criticism even within its ranks.

But rivals from far right to far left slammed Macron’s decision to rename Lecornu, France’s fourth prime minister in barely a year France is struggling with mounting economic challenges and ballooning debt, and the political crisis is aggravating its troubles and raising alarm across the European Union.

“I don’t think there were a lot of candidates,” Lecornu told reporters Saturday during a visit to a police station in the Paris suburb of L’Hayles-Roses.

Lecornu, who resigned Monday after just a month on the job, said he agreed to come back because of the urgent need to find financial solutions for France. But he said he would only stay as long as “conditions are met,” and seemed to acknowledge the risk that he could be brought down in a no-confidence vote by the fractured parliament.

“Either political forces help me and we accompany each other or they won’t,” he said.

He wouldn’t say when he expects to form a new government or who could be in it, but has said it wouldn’t include anyone angling for the 2027 presidential election. He didn’t address opposition demands to scrap a contentious law raising the retirement age.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROBERT F BUKATy

Marine Mammal Protection

Lecornu

Lawyers: Jurors claimbeing bulliedintoconvictingWeinstein

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press

NEW YORK Twojurors who voted in June to convict Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault saidtheyregret the decision and only did so because others on the panel bullied them, the former movie mogul’slawyerssaid in anewly public court filing.

Weinstein’slawyers are seeking to overturn his conviction for first-degree criminal sex act, arguing in papers unsealed Thursday that the guilty verdict was marred by “threats, intimidation, andextraneous bias,” and that the judge failedtoproperly deal with it at the time.

In sworn affidavits included with the filing, two jurors saidthey felt overwhelmed and intimidatedbyjurors who wanted to convict Weinstein on the charge, which accused him of forcingoral sexonTVand film production assistant and producer Miriam Haley in 2006.

Onejuror said shewas screamed at in the jury room and told, “we have to get rid of you.” The other juror said anyone who doubted Weinstein’sguilt was grilled by other jurors and that if he could have voted by secret ballot, “I would have returned anot guilty verdict on all three charges.”

“I regret theverdict,” that juror said. “Without the intimidation from otherjurors, Ibelievethatthe jury would have hung on the Miriam Haley charge.” Weinstein, 73, was acquittedonasecondcriminalsex act charge involvingadifferent woman, Polish psychotherapist and former modelKajaSokola. The judge declared amistrial on the final charge, alleging Weinstein raped former actor Jessica Mann, after the jury foreperson declined to deliberate further It was the second time the Oscar-winning producer

wastriedonsomeofthe charges. His 2020 conviction,awatershed moment for the #MeToo movement, wasoverturned lastyear Now hisdefense team, led by attorney Arthur Aidala, is fightingtoeliminate his retrial conviction and head off another retrial on the undecided count Judge Curtis Farber gave Manhattan prosecutors until Nov.10to conduct its own investigation andfile awritten response before he rules on Dec. 22. That means adecision and apossible retrial or sentencing won’tcome until after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is up for reelectiononNov.4

In the affidavits, which blacked out jurornames and identifying numbers, the two jurors said they feared for their safety and theforeperson’ssafety

They said that when the foreperson asked for civility,anotherjurorgot in his face, pointed afinger and told him: “You don’tknow me. I’ll catch you outside.”

Oneofthe jurorssaid deliberationswere poisoned by abelief among some jurors that amember of the panelhad been paid off by Weinstein or hislawyers. That claim,which has not been supportedbyany evidence,shiftedthe jury of seven women and fivemen “from an even 6-6 spit to a sudden unanimous verdict,” the juror said.

Some of what was said in the affidavits echoed acrimony that spilled into public view during deliberations. As jurors weighed charges for five days, one juror asked to be excused because he felt another was being treated unfairly

Later,the foreperson complained that other jurors werepushing people to change theirminds and that ajuroryelled at him for sticking to his opinion and suggested the foreperson would “see me outside.”

After thejuryreturned a

verdict on two of the three charges, Farber asked the foreperson whether he was willing to deliberate further.The man said no, triggering amistrialonthe rapecount.

After thetrial, two jurors disputedthe foreperson’s account. Onesaid no one mistreated him.The other saiddeliberations were contentious, but respectful.

Whenjurors came forward with concerns, Farber was strict aboutrespecting the sanctity of deliberations andcautioned them notto discussthe content or tenor of jury room discussions, transcriptsshow. In their affidavits, the two jurors saidthey didn’t feel the judge was willing to listen to theirconcerns.

When jurorswereaskedif theyagreed withthe guilty verdict, one of thejurors noted in her affidavit that she paused “to try andindicatemydiscomfortinthe verdict.” Afterward, when Farber spokewithjurors, she said she told him “the deliberations were unprofessional.”

Weinstein denies allthe charges. Thefirst-degree criminal sexact conviction carriesthe potential for up to 25 years in prison, while the unresolvedthird-degree rape charge is punishable by up to four years —less than he already hasserved. He has been behind bars since his initial conviction in 2020, andhelater also was sentenced to prison in aseparate California case, which he is appealing.

Advocate reemerges

Leslie Jacobs urges N.O. district to make changes

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

Leslie Jacobs, a controversial architect of New Orleans’ all-charter-school system who withdrew from public advocacy several years ago, is back. She’s already making waves

Jacobs, a former insurance executive who spent three decades in education advocacy helped lay the groundwork for the state’s takeover of New Orleans’ public schools after Hurricane Katrina and their conversion into charter schools She became a hero to many

in the self-styled “education reform” world, but faced fierce criticism from community members who said she helped engineer the school overhaul with little public input.

In 2017, with the post- Katrina changes fully entrenched, Jacobs decided to step away from public advocacy She closed shop at Educate Now!, a nonprofit she founded to promote her ad-

vocacy efforts, and spun off its workplace readiness arm into YouthForceNOLA.

But in September Jacobs reemerged seemingly out of the blue. She emailed Educate Now!’s followers a manifesto arguing that the city’s practice of charging a fee for collecting taxes on behalf of the school system is “unconstitutional and must end.”

“Here we are, twenty years after Katrina with New Orleans’ education story still unfolding, and I find there are new issues that need distilling and new information that needs to

be disseminated,” Jacobs wrote. “So, welcome to Educate Now! 2.0.”

Jacobs’ return raises questions about how her presence will shape education policy and the extent of her influence. Education politics in New Orleans is less contentious today, and the school system is more stable than in the years after Katrina, but high-stakes issues remain, including declining school enrollment, the funding dispute with the city and the board debating whether to run more schools. In an interview, Jacobs said she wants to be a voice in those conversations.

ä See ADVOCATE, page 2B

Hummingbird home

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

A ruby-throated hummingbird sings from a perch. The fall migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds is underway in New Orleans as the tiny birds raise their young here before the trip south for the winter. Other species common to the state include rufous, Anna’s, Allen’s, buff-bellied, calliope, black-chinned, broad-tailed and broad-billed hummingbirds. Native plants like red buckeye, cardinal flower, coral honeysuckle, scarlet sage, salvia, trumpet vine and vervain are the best method for attracting hummingbirds to your backyard

Bondholders threaten archdiocese bankruptcy settlement

Group of creditors is owed nearly $30M

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

While support from survivors of clergy sexual abuse appeared to be coalescing around the settlement proposal in the long-running Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy case, a group of bondholders is now threatening to upend the plan.

The bondholders are owed nearly $30 million by the local church and have argued in court filings that the archdiocese has negotiated with them in bad faith. They say the proposed settlement, which would pay them $3 million, or 10% of what they are due, is unfair

Last week, their attorneys questioned Archbishop Gregory Aymond and several of his top financial advisers under oath, seeking to learn more about the value of church assets. More depositions are scheduled in the coming days.

It’s unclear if the bondholders want to derail the settlement altogether, which could force U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill to dismiss the case, or whether the latest maneuvers are part of the continued negotiations in the yearslong bankruptcy case. Either way, close watchers of the case say the objections are complicating matters ahead of an expected confirmation hearing, scheduled for late November

“They have the ability to stop the plan confirmation, which is a significant bit of leverage,” said Marie T. Reilly, a law professor at Penn State Dickinson Law, who has tracked more than 40 church bankruptcies around the U.S. “Could they be posturing? Yes. We will see.”

Attorneys for the bondholders declined to comment. The archdiocese also declined to comment, but Aymond has recently said he is praying for a swift resolution to the case.

“I remain very hopeful and committed to bringing this bankruptcy to a conclusion that benefits the survivors of abuse,” he said last month. “I know there remains much work to be done, and I continue to hold this work in prayer Throughout much of the five-and-a-half-year-long bankruptcy case, most of the opposition to the archdiocese, its proposals and court filings came from attorneys representing more than 600 survivors who have filed abuse claims.

That all changed in July, when the official courtappointed committee that represents the interests of all abuse survivors announced it had agreed to a proposed settlement with the archdiocese.

The plan, since updated several times, would create a trust that would pay survivors $180 million over several years. It would be funded by the archdiocese, three of its insurers and its affiliated parishes and charities. An estimated $50 million would be added to the settlement following the sale of Christopher Homes, the church’s low-income senior apartment complexes.

The plan would also establish stricter protocols and reporting measures designed to protect children from future abuse.

In early September, a vocal group of trial attorneys that represent as many as one-third of the abuse survivors individually, dropped their opposition to the settlement. Their support all but ensures the necessary supermajority of survivors will vote

New Sewerage & Water Board chief unfazed by challenges

Randy Hayman has a long list of tasks ahead of him

BY BEN MYERS

Staff writer

Randy Hayman, who took the helm of the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board more than two months ago, has a lot on his plate. He’s got dilapidated infrastructure to fix, monumental funding challenges to solve and political relationships to cultivate. None of it fazes him, he said in a recent interview A lawyer by trade, the 62-year-

old Missouri native has helped lead municipal water systems around the country, as general counsel in St. Louis and Washington, D.C., and most recently as the Philadelphia Water Department’s top executive. New Orleans’ complex challenges, he said, aren’t so different from those he’s encountered elsewhere.

drinking water safe in a climatevulnerable city like New Orleans, where generations of city leaders have failed to keep the infrastructure in top working condition.

months talking to employees, residents and local officials.

ed because it is “underground, out of sight and out of mind.”

“I wanted to come here because there are problems,” Hayman said.

“I’m a problem solver.”

Problem-solving is part of the job description for leading a utility tasked with keeping streets dry and

There are aging lead pipes to replace, thousands of storm drains to clear and the annual threat of saltwater intrusion into the drinking water system to contend with. There are sewer rehabilitation projects to complete under a federal consent decree that is nearly three decades old. And there’s $1 billion in deferred maintenance to the drainage system, according to S&WB estimates.

Before he can get to any of that, however, Hayman said he needs to learn the agency from the ground up. He’s spent much of the past two

“I’m very comfortable developing very long to-do lists. A big part of my to-do list at this point is to stop and listen,” Hayman said. “It’s imperative that I do that.” Hayman said his transition from representing water utilities as a lawyer to running them was influenced by an early job working in his godfather’s pharmacy in St. Louis.

“When you work in a pharmacy, you’re dealing with the health and the safety of individuals, so you have to get it right. And so he taught me to be exact,” Hayman said. Hayman said New Orleans is like Philadelphia and other cities where critical infrastructure is underfund-

He noted a $2.5 billion water revitalization plan that the Philadelphia Water Department has kicked off under his leadership. The plan entails more than 400 projects over 25 years, a quarter of which have already been completed, according to a dashboard. Water rate hikes approved by an independent board are a key funding source for the Philadelphia revitalization plan, illustrating one way New Orleans is different from that city Here, the City Council evaluates S&WB rate hike requests, and council members have refused to

Jacobs

Hayman

“When Leslie Jacobs decides she wants to get engaged, you better get ready,” said Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools Executive Director Caroline Roemer,“because she’snot playing around.”

Jacobs was on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Educationduring thechaoticaftermathofKatrina. She helped champion the effort to reconstitute New Orleans’ struggling school system, which was academically low-performing, bankrupt and rife with corruption.

At aforum in August, Jacobs recounted ameetingwithfederal officialsa few months after Katrina where they advised her and other Louisiana education stakeholders to reopen New Orleans schools as a traditionaldistrict. Instead,

CHIEF

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hearany requestsinrecent years, citing public outrage over inaccurate bills and spiking home insurance rates.

State lawmakers alsocontrol thewater board’spurse strings, particularly through the state capital budget. For three years running, allocations have come up well short of what theS&WBrequested.

Lawmakers andother state officials have blamed poor coordination by the S&WB and political squabbleswith Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

“He’sgot alot of constituencies to work through that would be alittle bit different than other positions you might have in autility in other areas of the country,” said Paul Rainwater,alobbyist who represents the city and the S&WB.

The S&WB has been ahot topic in BatonRouge in recent years, as Republican Gov.Jeff Landry demands improvements to the agency and lawmakers pass bills affecting how it operates.

A2024 state law forced the S&WB to take over long-neglected storm drains from

BANKRUPTCY

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to accept it.

Another key group in the case,the “commercialcommittee” that represents vendors and small businesses, also supports the plan.

Bondholders, meanwhile, have been increasingly vocal in their opposition. They lent thechurch$40 million through amunicipal public bond offering in 2017, when Aymond was seeking to restructure church debt. The debt was not secured.

In bankruptcy cases, secured creditors are typically paid first, and often in full, while unsecured creditors are more at risk of only receiving aportion of what they are owed. Under the proposed settlement,the bond-

Jacobs pushed to havecharter school operators runthe schools.

“There’sasaying about going against medical advice,” Jacobs said at theforum. “Wewentagainst education advice .toget them open right ”

She persuaded state leaders to allow the state-run RecoverySchoolDistrict to take over moreNew Orleans schoolsand suspend laws requiring astudent and parent vote for charter conversion. She also helpedsecure federal dollars to fundschools while the city wasshut down.

Former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, who represented Louisiana from 1997to 2015, said Jacobs was one of the state’s“earliest and most effective” advocatesfor charter schools.

“LeslieJacobs has been hugely impactful in education reform and theimprovement journey,not onlyfor New Orleans, but across the state,”she said.She changed

City Hallwithout aclear funding source, forexample.

Other recent proposals aimed to replace the mayorcontrolledboardwith anew model giving stateauthorities more control.Those bills fizzled,but more could be coming this spring, Rainwatersaid.

“Weare still in that moment of truth. People want to prove out if the Sewerage &Water Board can continue on the current governance structure, canitbe successful. That’s still aquestionout there,” Rainwater said.

Hayman’spredecessor Ghassan Korban, earned praise—includingfrom critics— for initiatinglongoverdue projectstomodernize powersources for drainagepumps and improve billing. ButKorban, an engineer, showed less inclination to build relationships within the community andinpolitical circles, saidcouncilmember Joe Giarrusso, who works closely on S&WB issues. Giarrusso said he’simpressed with Hayman’s temperament, and that the S&WB staff he’s spokenwith “likethathe calmly and decisively and sort of incrementally addresses”problemsas they arise

holders are being offered 10 centsonthe dollar In recent months, they have filed courtdocuments accusing thearchdioceseof securities fraud, negotiatinginbad faithand treating them unfairly under theplan, arguing that the church “is solvent and has the ability to pay its proposed settlement with thesurvivors and all of its other creditors including the bondholders in full.”

Theescalating argument could lead to what is known in bankruptcy lawasa“cramdown” scenario. In orderfor abankruptcysettlementto be confirmedbythe court at leasttwo-thirdsofeach group,or“class,”ofcreditors must approve it. Already,the abuse survivors and trade creditors appear likely to reach that threshold. The bondholdersdonot,which means the plan proponents

“laws and rules and regs” to lay thefoundations for asystem of charter schools that “servedchildren and not the bureaucracy.”

Overthe years, Jacobs gained areputation as an education expert unafraid to offer blunt, honest feedback. Henderson Lewis Jr who was superintendent of NOLA Public Schools from 2015 to 2022, saidthatduring his tenure he engagedwith Jacobs andother education advocates. Evenwhenthere were differences of opinions, he said, they respected each others’ perspectives.

To some critics, Jacobs symbolizedthe top-down transformation of New Orleans’ schools driven by powerful people withlittle regard for thewill of the community In 2008 she told New Orleans Magazine that some of her detractors had gone so far as to spit in her face.

Thosesentiments linger.

As recentlyaslast February,whenthe School Board

“Ghassan cared more about nuts and bolts than the soft side.Randy understands heartsand minds,” Giarrusso said.

Hayman was notthe consensus choice of theagency’s governing board,whichapprovedhim by an unusual4-3 vote after meeting in private to discuss two finalistsfor the job.Meanwhile, Hayman’s annual salary of $427,000 has raisedsome eyebrows,since it is about $60,000 morethan what Korban made.

Boardmemberswho voted againstHayman did not publicly disclose their reasons. Twoofthe nay votes,Robin Barnes and Poco Sloss, have sincestepped down from the board. The third, Janet Howard,declinedtodiscuss her reasons for voting against Hayman’sappointment, but she said she met with Hayman and came away with an impression similar to Giarrusso Korban madecritical infrastructure and engineering upgrades,thingsthat should havehappened decades ago, but Hayman— with akeen listening ability— seems to have adeft skill in working withpeople, Howard said “Now we have someone who has aset of talents that

will ask the court to force the bondholderstoacceptit.

At theconfirmationhearing, Grabill will have to determine whether the plan meets several criteriathat would justify a“cramdown” over the bondholders’ objections, Reilly said. Those criteriainclude whether the plan hasbeen proposedingood faith, satisfies the financial interests of the bondholders andis“fair andequitable.”

ThedepositionsofAymond andothers currently are intended to gather informationinpreparationfor the hearingtohelp determine “whether the plan does or does notsatisfy the‘cramdown’ confirmation criteria,” Reilly said

Amongthe specific issues bondholders are focused on is how the plan proponents andtheir financial advisers arrivedatthe value of church

discussed directly running a traditional public school for the first timeinnearly two decades, several community advocates accused Jacobsof trying to scuttle theplan.

Alicia Plummer,afrequent critic of Jacobsand the charter system whose grandchildren attend New Orleans public schools, calledJacobs “the face of this failed experiment.” Plummersaidshe believes that Jacobs, who briefly entered the New Orleansmayoral race in 2009, continuestoinfluencethe city’s education officials.

“She’s the wizard behind the curtain,” Plummer said. Jacobs stepped back from public advocacyin2017, but she never fully left.

She has remained on the board of YouthForceNOLA and other local nonprofits. and has donated to the political campaigns of pro-charter School Board candidates. In the most recent Orleans Parish School Board election,she contributed to two pro-charter school candidates.

will help the Sewerage & Water Board better dealwith the political situation in the city andthe state,” Howard said.

Asked if the split vote creates achallenge in gaining the board’s confidence, Haymanreplied thathehas just one challenge.

”That’stobethe best executive director that Ican be,” he said.

Improving the S&WB’s responsiveness, transparency and accountability are amongHayman’s top goals for the year,hesaid.He’s planning two initiatives to help, though details are scarce.One is aquality-oflife training programtoensure contractors clean up after constructionprojects. Another is neighborhood-level “strike teams” torespond to residents’ concerns. Residents“areveryclear aboutwhattheywantand what their expectations are,” Hayman said. “Wehave to do morethan simply say ‘We’re looking at it;We’re investigating it.’ They want us to have things they can seeand touch.”

With the S&WB’starnished public image in mind, officials are nervously eyeing the 2026 election cycle,

real estate.

Thebondholdershavesaid in recent court documents theyare still struggling to “understandthe debtor and itsaffiliates’ complex financial web.”

Thebondholders arealso challenging the way financial consultants determined the valueofanabuse claim.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy hasbeen noteworthy amongthe dozensofchurchbankruptcies foranumberofreasons, includingits cost, duration and anumberofcontentiousside arguments. If Grabill confirms the plan over theobjectionofthe bondholders later this year, it will notch another first. Though therehave been otherproposed cramdowns where abuse survivors objected to thesettlement, this would be the first time a“non-

And, behind thescenes,she hasoccasionally weighedin on local school issues.

NewOrleansCityCouncil member Joe Giarusso said he spoke with Jacobs, alongwith many other people, before negotiating anow-kiboshed settlement agreement between the city and school district over tax collection.

“I also spoke with Leslie,” he said, “because Ithought she hasdeep knowledge of these issues and had no political objectiveingiving her views.”

In arecentinterview,Jacobs said she felt compelled this year to takeamore public roleineducation affairs as shereflected on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.She said she revived Educate Now! to help guide New Orleans schools through theirnext phase.

“The growth we hadwas remarkable, but the question is how do we keep growing,”

whichwill include aproperty tax renewal for one of three drainage millages. The millage garners morethan $20 millionannually,roughly a quarter of the S&WB’sannual drainage budget.

Utilityofficials saythe existing drainage revenue is already inadequate, and losing asubstantial portion of it would be devastating. Even if voters renewthe millage, the S&WB is also scrambling to come up with an additional $20 million everyyear to maintain the storm drains it took over from City Hall.

For more than two years, the S&WB has been working withaconsultant to crafta stormwater feetocomplement—orreplace —the millages. At the very least, the idea is to get tax-exempt propertyowners to kickin for drainage, since they hold about one-third of the city’s combined real estate value, according to the Orleans Parish Assessor’sOffice.

But legal and practical questions haven’tbeen worked out, including the fee structure, whetherall property ownerswould pay and how to ensure it’snot a double tax.

If it wants anew feein place by next year,the

sex-abuse unsecuredcreditor” objects, Reilly said. Bondholders can appeal a cramdown to theU.S.DistrictCourt.

she said. “I’dlike to be part of that conversation.”

Though it remains to be seen whetherher public stances will hold as much weight as they did in thepast, Jacobs already is pushing the school district to makechanges.She said it needs to better define its role in addressing issues such as truancy and operating traditionalschools, and she offered ascathing assessment of the district-run Leah Chase School, the only traditional public school in thecity. On her website this week, Jacobs chastisedthe district for theschool’s $500,000 operational deficit, saying the school is adrain on the district’sresources andattention. Calling the school’s academic performance “mediocre,” she said thedistrict should either put it “onalevel playing field” with charter schoolsorlet another school use its campus. “It is time for OPSB to remedy thissituation,” she wrote.

S&WB needs to issue aproposalsoon andundertake “a massive education campaign,” said Rebecca Mowbray,executive director of the Bureau of Governmental Research,whichsupports the fee.

“A lot of people really don’t quite know how to think about it.They’re potentially open to supporting it, but they really need to know what the proposal is going to looklike. Howisitgoing to affect people?What’sitgoing to cost?” Mowbray said. Hayman wascircumspect whenaskedifa feeproposal is on the horizon, saying only that“we areevaluating stormwater management funding, we’re looking at the millages, and we will make a determination.”

“In the time I’ve been here so far,there have been some complicated,demanding issues that have crossedmy desk,” Hayman said.“But none of them have come with the ideathatIhavenever seen it before.”

TRAVELCLUB

Climate pattern to impact hurricane season

Meteorologists sayLaNiña is notacause forpanic

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

La Niña, the climate pattern associated with an uptick in hurricane and tropical storm activity in the Atlantic Ocean, is back again.

The Climate Prediction Center announced Thursday that weak La Niña conditions emergedin thePacific Ocean in September andare expected to persist through the remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season, which ends Nov.30.

Though La Niña is oftenbad news forthose living on the Gulf Coast and other storm-prone regions, local meteorologist

Mike Effersonand LSU professor and hurricane researcher Jill Trepanier said the latest emergence is not acause for panic. It may be too late in the season for the notorious climatepattern to bring any major impacts, they said.

“Hopefullyitwon’tdo too much to affect it at all,” Trepanier said.

El Niño and La Niña are two opposing climate patterns that disruptnormal wind and current conditionsinthe Pacific Ocean, in turn impacting weather patterns across the globe.

El Niño and La Niña conditions can last for months or several years, according to NOAA. They generally occur in acycle every two to seven years, with transitional neutral periods in between, but they don’toccur on aregular schedule.

La Niña tends to promotethe formationand intensification of Atlantic hurricanes by reducing wind shear across the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic Ocean. Wind shear can tear apart storms as they begin to form.

Michael Lowry,a Miami-based hurricane specialist, said La Niña tends to bring its greatest impacts to the western half of the Atlantic, including the Gulf and Caribbean Sea.Hesaid those regions are already seeing the lessenedwindshear and other conditions characteristic of La Niña.

But, he said,tropical systems have largely been unable to make it over to the Gulf or Caribbean so far this year Avast majorityofthis season’snamed storms have started as seeds east of the Caribbean, then turned away from the U.S. and back out to sea. If asystem were to make it to the Gulf or Caribbean, it would have plenty of fuel in the form of warm water and alack of shear.But, Lowrysaid, you need a“spark.”

“I think this season we’ve just been kind of lucky,” Lowry said. The real concern would come if La Niña conditions were to last into the 2026Atlantichurricane season, which Lowry said does not looklikely The Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that neutral conditions are expected to return by March 2026.

“But we have seen more of these La Niña patterns stick around in recent years,” Lowry said, “so it wouldn’tbeasurprising thing if it were to happen.”

Email Kasey Bubnash at kasey.bubnash@ theadvocate.com

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Bland, Marie

Bradley, Margaret

Casey, Jerry Dansereau,Valeton

Dyhrkopp, Erik

Easson, Gwendolyn

Estay, Irene

Guillot, Gail

Holdeman Jr., Charles

Ice, Robert Jones, Patricia

Lannelongue,Philippe

Mason, Gladys McAdam Sr., Michael

Mipro, Frank Morgan,Carl Morse, Lillian

Perret, Kelly

Philipson,Arlene

Prattini, Linda

Rabito,Janice

Spiess, Valery

WedigJr.,Robert

Williamson, Richard EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Lannelongue,Philippe

Leitz-Eagan

WedigJr.,Robert NewOrleans

DW Rhodes

Mason, Gladys Greenwood

McAdam Sr., Michael JacobSchoen

Mipro, Frank Morgan,Carl

Patricia Morse, Lillian Philipson,Arlene Majestic Mortuary Bland, Marie St Tammany

Audubon

Holdeman Jr., Charles EJ Fielding Rabito,Janice Williamson, Richard West Bank Mothe

Guillot, Gail

Obituaries Bland, MarieSylvia

In Loving Memory of Marie Sylvia Bland, March 13, 1936 –October 7, 2025 With hearts full of grati‐tudefor alifewell-lived, and with faith in the promise of eternalrest, we announcethe peaceful passing of ourbeloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother,and faithfuldaughterofChrist, Marie Sylvia Bland, who entered into eternallifeon October 7, 2025. Born on March 13,1936, in NewOr‐leans,Louisiana,Marie was thecherished daugh‐ter of thelateErnestPeter Thomas, Sr.and Antonia Rose OlivierThomas. She

wasalsoprecededin

death by herdearbrother ErnestP.Thomas, Jr., and her grandchildrenTravis JosephClark (affection‐ately knownas"Spider Monkey"), StarrDerbigny, and AngelDerbigny. Marie lived alongand fruitful life, overflowingwithlove, laughter, andunwavering faith.She wasa devoted and nurturingmotherto her four children:Wanda Gordon(CharlesGordon) RosalindClark (Lloyd Clark), Alphonse Derbigny and DerekDerbigny, Sr (Rhonda Derbigny). Her legacycontinues through her grandchildren: Danielle Marie Johnson, Tanisha Marie Edwards, DerynGia Derbigny, AlexaDerbigny, GerrenCharles Gordon, Derek John Derbigny,Jr. Shelita Clark, Tyronne Clark,Lloyd ClarkJr.,Floyd Clark andBrandon Clark. Marie also delightedinher great-grandchildren:Kevin Samuel, DevinSamuel, Quinton Curry,Leilani Gor‐don,Cameron Boger, Blaze Boger, BrooklynToulson, Layla Edwards, andAlaya Lee, andshe leaves behind a host of extended family and dear friendswho were blessedbyher presence Professionally, Mariewas anaccomplishedbeauti‐cian, whose handsnot only styledhairbut uplifted spirits.She wasequally celebratedasanextraordi‐narycook,known far and widefor herlegendary filé gumbo,roast,candied yams, peas,and potato salad.Her kitchenwas a place of love andjoy,espe‐cially during theholidays. Christmas washer favorite season—atimeshe filled withdelicious meals, beau‐tiful decorations, andthe warmthoffamilyand fel‐lowship.Marie found joyin the simple pleasuresof life. Apassionatefan of the New OrleansSaintsand the NewOrleans Pelicans she took prideincheering onher home teams. But above allelse, Marie's heart belonged to herLord and Savior JesusChrist. She wasa womanofdeep abiding faith—her days an‐choredinprayer, scripture, and gospelmusic.During her momentsofcommu‐nionwiththe Lord,the world wouldfadeawayas she centered herselffully inGod’s presence.Her life was atestimony to love resilience,generosity, and unwaveringbelief. She leavesbehinda spiritual and familial legacy that willechothrough genera‐tions.May Marie'ssoul, and thesouls of allthe faithfuldeparted, through the mercyofGod,restin peace.Amen. Relatives and friendsofthe family, alsoPriestand Parish‐ionersare allinvited to at‐tenda Mass of Christian BurialonThursday,Octo‐ber 16, 2025 at 10:00 am at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church,5621 Elysian Fields Ave.,New Or‐leans,Louisiana 70122. Vis‐itation will beginat8:45 am. IntermentwillbeinSt. Patrick #1 Cemetery.Pro‐fessional arrangements entrusted to Majestic Mor‐tuary Service, Inc. (504) 523-5872.

by her loving husband of 66 years Raymond J. "Joe" Bradley, as well as her parentsJohn "Jack" Denihan, and Catherine Denihan, her brothers Richard Denihan, Michael Denihan, Sean Denihan, and Edward Denihan, her son Kevin Bradley and her grandson Bryan Cassard

She leaves behind her daughter MaureenBradley -Austin(Forrest), her son Dennis Bradley(Diane), her daughter Kathleen"Kat" Bradley, her sisters Mary Watkins (Steve), and BridgetDenihan (Matt), her grandchildrenEdward Cassard (Samantha) Lauren Lusk (Jeffrey), Dylan Bradley (Diana), her greatgrandchildren Bryce Cassard,Mae Frances Lusk,Brylee Dier &Austin Lusk,aswellasnumerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and greatnephews. Margaret was born in Pontiac, Michigan where she attendedSt. Fredericks'sCatholic School. It was after high schoolwhen she met Joe, theloveofher life.Joe was working for theChrysler CorporationinDetroit and afew years after they were marriedJoe was transferred and they moved thegrowing family to Italy,Turkey and then down to NewOrleans. They settled down and raised their family in NewOrleans East where they livedfor 29 years until moving to Slidellin1992. Margaret and Joe enjoyed traveling and they especially enjoyed visiting friends and family around thecountry. The family wouldliketothank the staff at Traditions Hospice Care forthe excellent care Margaret received. The family willhavea celebration of Margaret's life at adatetobeannounced later.

Dr. JerryPatrick

as Alumnus of theYearfor hisdedication to andlove of SpringHill. In 1960, he graduated from theLSU School of Medicine andservedhis internship in theU.S Medical CorpsatWalter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. After completinghis militaryduty, hisPediatric Residency wasservedat CharityHospital in New Orleans.

In theyearsfollowing hismilitaryduty, he became alifelongmember of theAmerican Legion and wasactive in Legion Post 16 in Covingtonfor many years. As founding partner of Lakeside Children'sClinic, he practicedfor 43 years with DoctorsBauer,Blake andZander.

Dr.Casey hada longdistinguishedcareerasa pediatrician andwas dedicated to his familyand his patients. Hiswas along life well lived,and aliferememberedwith love

As adevoutCatholic,he held adeep devotion to OurLady saying therosary daily.

He wasthe son of Byron J. Casey, Sr.and Blanche Casey, brotherofDr. Byron J. Casey, Jr.(Dolores), and sister of BonnieMay Stuart (Tom).

He leaves hiswife of 65 years, Margaret Jeanne hisdaughters, ErinCasey Hangartner (Greg) and Mary Catherine Baham (Melton), andgrandson, John ChristopherCasey (Mallory), andmanyloved nieces andnephews.

The familyisgrateful to thestaff of St.Anna's for theircareand kindness over thesedifficult years andthe Guardian Angel Hospice

Afuneral mass was held on October8,2025 and internment wasprivateat Lake LawnParkCemetery

To view andsignthe online guestbook, visit www.lakelawnmetairie.co m.

Dansereau,

Valeton"Val"Jude Dansereau, 91, passed away peacefullywithhis devotedwife by his sideon October3,2025. Valwas born on May16, 1934, to RaoulJ.Dansereau and DesireeMarie Valeton. Otherthan the years he workedabroad as ayoung man, he wasalifelongNew Orleanian.Hegraduated from St.Aloysius High School and receiveda Master of Architecture degree from Tulane University undera full academic scholarship. He honorably served in theU.S Army as adraftsman prior to starting hisarchitectural career with Curtis andDavis Architects; there,hesupervisedthe expansion andmodernization of theFreeUniversity Hospital in Berlin, Germany, whichisstill the largest university hospital in Europe. He later lived in London,where he wasthe lead architect for theOld Course HotelinSt. Andrews.In1970, he established hisown architectural practice,whichfocused on commercial and residential projects in New Orleans. Prior to retiring from architecture,he served as aproject manager for theNew Orleans Sports Arena. Valissurvivedbyhis belovedwife of morethan 55 years, Bonnie D'Amico Dansereau, andtheir two children, Dr.Degan Joseph Dansereau (Robyn) and Dami AnnDansereau Burckin (Jon). He is also survived by four grandchildren,who lovingly call him "Pappy": Degan Joseph Dansereau Jr Lucille Marie Dansereau,Desiree "Daisy" Burckin, and Evangeline "Evie"Burckin. He waspredeceased by his brotherRaoul J. Dansereau Jr.(Marianne),and sisters Elma Dansereau Crockett (Heslin),Shirley Dansereau Beck (Godfrey), and Fay Dansereau Finnegan (Curtis). Valservedonmany civic boardsincluding the

Casey M.D., JerryP

4B

New Orleans Museum of Art, AmericanInstitute of Architects,Allard Boulevard Association, Upper Pontalba Commission, and the St. Alphonsus Art and Cultural Center. He also served as president of the Preservation Resource Center, Academy of the Sacred Heart Fathers' Club, and the Christian Brothers Foundation. He was a member of the Society of the War of 1812, Founders of the City of New Orleans, the Bienville Club, and several Carnivalorganizations. He had apassion for preservingthe unique architecture of New Orleans, so much so that he once blocked his street with his car to prevent the City from replacing the original street light poles. It worked, and they are still there to this day. Not content with just one profession, he and his wife Bonnie operated The Carrollton, asuccessful wedding reception hall that was located in aformermovie theater, which he preserved and renovated. He loved his family more than anything and enjoyed traveling the world. Rome, Nice, Venice Lucerne, and Innsbruck were some of the many places he enjoyed showing his family whilerecounting stories from when he lived in Europe. Getting through communist checkpoints with blueprints,befriending spies, and regularly sailing across Lake Wannsee from the German -British Yacht Club to the American International Yacht Club (and its twelvecent Beefeater martinis) are some of the many stories he enjoyed telling. Family and friends are invited to attend acelebration of life on Saturday, October 18, from 11 am to 1 pm at the event center of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70124, followed by amemorial Mass at 1 pm. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, please donate to acharity of your choice. He will be deeply missed but forever remembered as adevoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. To view and sign the online guestbook, visit www.lakelawnmetairie.co m.

Erik FelixDyhrkoppdied at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan after asudden illnessonApril 27, 2025. He was 60.

Erik was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 23, 1965. He was a1983 graduate of JesuitHigh School and served on its National Advisory Board and as part of its National Advisory Board Endowment Challenge. Erik majored in Philosophy at theUniversity of New Orleans, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, in 1987. Erik then attended the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where he was awardeda Juris Doctor degree in 1990

Erik was an Articles Editor for the Northwestern University Law Review from 1988-90. Erik alsorepresented Northwestern in 1988-89 at the Philip C Jessup International Moot Court Competition, the world's largest interschool moot court competition that has been held annually for the past 65 years. He was admitted to the state bar of Illinois in 1990.

Erik served as the law clerk for Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain of theUnited States Ninth Circuit Court of AppealsinPortland, Oregon from 1993-94. He then clerked for Judge K Michael Mooreofthe United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami, Florida from 1994-95.

Later, Erik became an equity partner at Bell, Boyd &Lloyd LLP in Chicago, where he was amemberof the Antitrust Department. Erik successfullyrepresented the California Dental Association in the United States Supreme Court, prevailing in the

case CaliforniaDental Associationv.Federal Trade Commission, 526 U.S. 756 (1999). In addition to antitrustmatters, Erik focused his practice on distributionlaw and complex commercial litigation. Erik ultimately became Senior VicePresident and General Counselfor theAmericas forRobertBosch LLC, a subsidiaryofRobertBosch GmbH. After alongand distinguishedlegal career, Erik retired in January 2025

Erik loved Mardi Gras and became amember of the Krewe of Thoth in 2013.

Erik is preceded indeath by hisbrother, Neil William Dyhrkopp. He issurvived by his wife, Diane Ferguson; his mother, Gayle Dyhrkopp, and her companion, Harry Wood; his father, Felix Grover Dyhrkopp and his wife, Pamela; his sons,Zachary (Phoebe); Lucas;his daughter,Alana; and many cousins, friends, and family members

Erikwillbelaidtorest withhis brother, Neil Dyhrkopp and this grandparents, Doris Kaneland WilliamHenryGerbrecht, in aprivate ceremony at Greenwood Cemeteryin NewOrleans.

Inlieu of flowers, please consider making adonation to the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency.

Amemorialservicewith masswillbeheldon SaturdayOctober 18th, 2025from1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Jesuit High School of New Orleans Chapel,4133 Banks Street,New Orleans, LA 70119.

Easson, Gwendolyn Amelia

Gwendolyn Amelia Easson diedOctober 3, 2025age 93, daughterof the late Davidand Amelia Bowen, dear sister of Hubert, Ken, Donald, Bronwyn,Dilys,Bill, Cecil, Shirley, Rosemary, Geoffrey and Christopher. For 67 wonderful years, belovedwifeofWilliam Easson. Beloved mother of Anne, Jane, David(Usha),and Michael. Caring grandmotherofWilliam(Meera), Leah (Randy) andMyra. Dotting great-grandmother of Caroline,Rahm, Julianne and Krishna. Born in Bienfait, Saskatchewan, Canada GrewupinWales,UK. Nursing education in England and Wales.Earned certificationasState RegisteredNurse and State CertifiedMidwife. B. S.in Health Arts University of Saint Francis,South Bend, Indiana. Practicedextensively in the United Kingdom, Canada, USAand Saudi Arabia includingat the LondonClinicand the Mayo Clinic, where she earned Certificationwith Distinction and met and married William. Head Nurse Department of Medicine King Abdul Aziz Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Instructor, Department of Obstetrics LSU Medical Center New Orleans. US -USSRHealth scientist exchange published two papers after this exchange. In additiontoa successful career,she wasanoutstanding homemaker, chef and baker. She made the best family holiday dinners. Above allelse, she taughtushow to love. With husband William, shetraveled tomore than 130 countries including North Korea, Iran and multiple timestothe Arctic and the Antarctic. Drovea Volkswagencampmobile from Vienna,Austriato Riyadh, SaudiArabia. Sailedthe Northwest Passage from Seward, AlaskatoNew York City Funeral willbeprivate. No flowers, please.In lieu of flowersitissuggested that the mourners do something thatgives them joy.

Estay, IreneMokrycki

St Rose —Irene Mokrycki Estay passedawaySat-

urday October4th,2025, surrounded by love.Known for her dedication to family,Irene leavesbehindher husband of 54 years Tommy, son Stephen (Shanna) daughter Sarah (Ashlynn) and twobeautiful granddaughters Alyssa &Chloe. She is also survivedbysisters Christina, Johanna, and Stephanie.Proud of her Polish ancestry, Irene is proceeded in death by her parents Stefan and Helana Mokrycki. At Irene's request, therewill be no services.Withholidayand family gatherings deeply important,she madeitknown she wanted us all to share alaugh and raise aglassinhonor of her journey home. Acelebrationofher life will be held at alatertime

Gail MarieGuillot, a beloved mother,grand‐mother, great-grand‐mother, sister,and friend passedawaypeacefully on October 10, 2025, at theage of80. Born on August 31, 1945, in NewOrleans Louisiana,Gaildedicated muchofher life to serving her community as across‐ing guardfor Jefferson ParishSchools. Herunwa‐veringcommitmenttothe safety of children exempli‐fied hernurturing spirit and deep care forothers. Gailcherished herfamily above allelse. Sheissur‐vived by herlovingchil‐dren, TanyaMichel(David) Melissa Plaisance, Stacey Volpi (Wayne), Charles Bourgeois (Candace), and MickeyBourgeois (Lynn) She also leaves behind a legacyofloveand joyin her grandchildren: Gabriel Adams,Joshua Adams, Christopher Michel,Jen‐nifer Michel,HannahVolpi, MickeyBourgeois,Jr. Trestin Bourgeois, Brinden Bourgeois,JonathanBour‐geois,and Guliette Bour‐geois,along with her11 great-grandchildren who brought herimmensehap‐piness. Gail is survived by her brother, SheldonBobby Guillot. Shewas prede‐ceasedbyher parents, OveyGuillotand Edith MelanconGuillot, as well asher siblings:Doris Col‐let,Shirley Gautreaux, Ned Guillot, TedGuillot, and NorrisGuillot.Inaddition toher devotion to family, Gailhad adeep passionfor WWE Wrestling, especially cheeringfor RomanReigns and enjoying SmackDown. Her vivaciousspiritwas in‐fectious, andshe knew how to bringjoy into the lives of thosearound her. A visitationwillbeheldon October 14, 2025, from 9:00 a.m.until 11:00 a.m. at Marrero -Mothe Funeral Homes,LLC,located at 7040 LapalcoBlvd.,Mar‐rero, Louisiana. Following the visitation,a Mass will takeplace at 11:00 a.m., withinterment to follow at WestlawnMemorialPark, 1225 WhitneyAve., Terry‐town, Louisiana.

Holdeman Jr of Harahan, Louisiana, passedaway peacefullyonOctober 3, 2025, at theage of 99. He was born in NewOrleans Louisiana to thelate Charles Calvin Holdeman and GraceLee Procellon September 15, 1926 Charles is survived by his nephews,NicholasLiccia‐rdi Sr.(Betty)and Charles EdwardHoldeman(late wife, Sharon); hisniece, BrendaTromatore (Luke), and threegenerations of niecesand nephews. Charles devotedhis life to the noblecallofservice service to hiscountry,his community,and hisfellow man.His dedication to helping others wasnot a passing interest,but alife‐longmission marked by tirelesscommitmentand unwaveringpatriotism. He was an employee of the UnitedStatesPostalSer‐vicefor 37 yearsand re‐tired as ChiefEngineer Charles proudlyserved withthe United States Ma‐rineCorps during WWIIin the Battle of IwoJima. As a proud Veteranand leader, Charles served with dis‐tinctionasPastComman‐derand OfficerofVFW

Post 3267, andasbothPast Commander and2nd Dis‐trict Commander of Ameri‐can Legion Post 397. His leadershipinthese organi‐zations reflectedhis deep lovefor hisnationand his steadfastsupport of those who wore theuniform of freedom.His senseofduty extendedfar beyond the militarycommunity.For morethansix decades, Charles guided others with wisdomand integrityas Director—andlater,Chair‐man of theBoard—ofthe PostOffice Employees CreditUnion.His remark‐able63years of service earnedhim awell-de‐servedplace in the Louisiana Credit Union LeagueHallofFame, ates‐tamenttohis vision and commitmentto financial fairnessand trust. Perhaps the most moving reflection ofCharles’s characterwas his quietcompassion. For over25years—wellintohis 90s—he deliveredmeals and friendship throughthe Jefferson Parish Mealson Wheelsprogram,ensuring thatnoneighborfeltfor‐gotten. Charlesalsoshared his time andtalents with the youthofhis commu‐nityasTreasurer andin‐structorofthe DeltaBox‐ing Club andasa dedi‐cated coachoffootball and baseballatDelta Play‐ground.Through every punch, pass, andplay, he inspireddiscipline, re‐spect,and teamwork—the samevaluesthatdefined his ownremarkablejour‐ney.Charles Calvin Holde‐man Jr.’s commitmentto his countryand commu‐nitywas unwavering,and hewas ahighlyvalued sourceofinspiration to all who knew him. Hislegacy ofservice,love, anddedi‐cationwillforever be cher‐ished by hisfamilyand friends.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tenda visitation andser‐vicetohonor Charleson Wednesday,October 15 2025 at AudubonFuneral HomeinSlidell. Visitation willbeheldfrom10:00 a.m. to12:00 p.m. followed by a FuneralMassinthe chapel atnoon.Charles will be laidtorestwithMilitary Honorsinthe Southeast Louisiana Veterans Ceme‐teryat1:30p.m.Memories and condolencesmay be expressedatwww.Aud ubonFuneralHome.com.

Robert S. Ice, known affectionately to family and friends as Bob, passed away at home on Friday, September 26, 2025, surrounded by his loving family.Hewas 94 years old. BornonJanuary 3, 1931, in Fairmont,WestVirginia, Bobcherished his childhoodinthe WestVirginia Hills, where he formed lifelong bondswithnature and hiscommunity. He was son of thelate Genevieve &Herschel Ice and thebrother to thelate Emily Ellen IceRead Cather, who preceded in welcoming him to New Orleans in 1957—a visit that wouldbecome permanent. Aproud alumnus of WestVirginiaUniversity, Bob graduated in 1953 and was amember of thePhi KappaPsi fraternityand of theROTC. Thisled himto join theU.S.Army, where he was commissioned as a First Lieutenantin1955 and served honorably during his deployment in Europe Upon returning stateside, BobarrivedinNew Orleans to visithis sister and instantly fellinlove with thecity'svibrant spirit.Heimmersed himself in itsrichculture, making it his foreverhome Bob's passionfor music shone brightly as afounding member of thelegendary Last Straws jazz band. The group delighted audiences with theirlively performancesacross the globe, including tours in Europe,Cuba, NewYork, CapeCod,and of course, theheart of NewOrleans itself.

In 1964, Bob found his true love when he married his wife Sherwood Lampton Yarborough Together, they raised two wonderfulsons: Robert Stephens Ice, Jr.(Bonnie) and EricLampton Taylor Ice. Bob'slegacy continues throughhis four cherished grandchildren: Finley ElizabethIce,Taylor Breeden Ice, William

Alexander Iceand Matthew Conaway Ice. Professionally, Bob built adistinguishedcareerin sales, later excelling as a financial advisor with MerrillLynch andMorgan Stanley until hisretirement. Hisintegrityand warmth earnedhim therespect and admiration of colleaguesand clients alike Serviceswillbeheld privately,followed by a Celebration of Life for familyand friends.Bob will return home to West Virginia for interment in theancestral IceFamilyCemetery Alifewell lived,Bob, the Last of TheLast Strawswill be jamming eternal to "Time Marches On."

Jones, Patricia Lucille Pinkston

Patty Jones is survived by herhusbandof55 years, Robert Stephen Jones, herchildren, Peter Jones (and partner, Elizabeth Butler)and Judith Jones Arute(and husband, William Arute). Sheisincrediblyproud of herfourgrandchildren; Remington Jones (15), Ava "Kitty" Arute (14), Jackson Jones (10), and Sebastian Jones (5). Sheisalso survivedbyher brother, Larry Dominguez,and sister, Janet Pinkston Lewis. Her heavenly familywelcomed heronOctober 2nd. Her mother, Juanita Dominguez,her father, ArthurDominguez,and older siblings, Bernieand AndreaOrmes, have been awaiting hertojointhem again.Niece,Jaqueline Ormes, in-laws, Jay and ErDein Weiner,brother-inlaw,TimothyJones, and Godson, Joseph Palazzola, will be awaiting heras well Patty wasbornin Louisville, Kentucky, to Margaret Juanita Martin andJesse Pinkston. She wastheir only childtogether butyoungest of her siblings as both of herparents hadpreviouslybeen married. By thetimePatty wasthree,her family moved to Henderson, Nevada. There, herparents divorcedand hermother remarriedher true love andPatty's true father ArthurDominguez. When Patty wasinjuniorhigh school, thefamilymoved to PalmSprings, California. There, Patty thrived learningclassical piano and singing in many church andsynagogue choirs. She wasthe first person in her bloodlinetograduate high school, andshe even went on to receiveher Associate of Arts degree at Collegeof theDesert, twicebeing honored as AWoman of Distinction. In college, she met herhusband, Bobby. Untilthe day shepassed, shealways said herlifereallystartedwhenshe married him. They moved to Los Angeles, wheresoon after their daughter, Judith,was born, andfive years later theirson,Peter, arrived. Patty workedfor herfather-in-law for 20 years andthentook over thecompany with Bobby. Shehad an amazing work ethic, butworkwas never herpassion.Her passion wasalways thelove she shared with herfamilyand friends. As alifelong Catholic, herfaithalways guided herand carried her throughout herlife. Once retired, she moved to New Orleans, whereher children hadalready settled and were raisingher belovedgrandchildren. She soon foundwhat became herfavorite church, All SaintsinAlgiers Point. The friendships shefound in herlater years she held very close to herheart and broughther great joy. Patty passedpeacefullyat home, surroundedbyher loving family. Relativesand friends are invited to attendthe funeral servicesatAll SaintsCatholic Church, 1441 Teche St.inNew Orleans, on Wednesday, October15, 2025. The visitation will be held from 9:00AM until 10:00AM;the recitation of theRosary will begin at 10:00AM followedbyeulogies andtributes from 10:20AM until 11:15AM. The Funeral Mass will begin at 11:30AM,concluding with theintermentinMetairie Cemetery In lieu of flowers, Patty requested that donations be sent to AllSaints Catholic Church (Parish Development). Alldonationscan be made through theparish website,www.al lsaintschurchnola.org, or mailed to thechurchdi-

rectly. To view andsignthe online guest book, please visit LakeLawnMetairie.com.

Lannelongue,Philippe Antoine

It is with deep sadness thatweannouncethe passing of Philippe Antoine Lannelongue.Hewas pre‐deceasedbyhis beloved latewife, Sylvie Bartissol Lannelongue,withwhom heshared five cherished years of marriage.Philippe isalsosurvivedbyhis son, VictorLannelongueNavarro,and hisbeloved companion,NicoleOrtloff BorninToulouse, France to Francis Lannelongueand Anne-Marie Lannelongue, Philippe wasthe proud brother of Jean-Charles Lannelongue.His life was markedbya commitment tohis family, education, and communityservice Philippe hada speciallove for hisdog, Peanut,who was aconstantcompanion and source of joyinhis life Healsohad aprofound im‐pactonhis students,in‐spiring them with hisdedi‐cationand passionfor teaching. Philippe wasan accomplishedprofessional witha diversebackground inManaged Care,Finance, HealthcareMarketing,and HigherEducation.He earnedhis Bachelor's de‐greeinMarketing from Ecole Supérieure de Com‐merce de Toulouse in Franceand went on to ob‐tainbotha Master of Sci‐enceinHealthcareMan‐agement andanMBA from the University of NewOr‐leans.Inhis academic ca‐reer,Philippe served as an AssistantProfessor of Managementand Coordi‐nator of theHealthCare ManagementProgram at the University of Holy Cross in NewOrleans,LA. Healsoheldpositions as anAdjunctProfessor of In‐ternational Marketingat the University of NewOr‐leans andasanAdjunct Professor of Business at LoyolaUniversityofNew Orleans.Philippe’s previ‐ous rolesincludedDirector ofMarketing &Profes‐sionalDevelopment Pro‐grams at theUniversityof Arizona,aswellasman‐agerial positionsatHU‐MANA, Cooley Advertising & PR,SunquestInforma‐tionSystems,and United HealthGroup.Beyondhis professionalachieve‐ments,Philippe wasa pas‐sionate fencingcoach and clubowner, amemberof the NewOrleans Yacht Club, andanactivepartici‐pantinthe Alliance Française of NewOrleans where he judged local French-speaking school competitions. Hislovefor sailingwas evidentashe spent many joyful mo‐ments with hisdear friends on hissailboat, Pel‐ican. He also contributed tothe CoastGuard Auxil‐iary, reflecting hisdedica‐tiontoservice.Philippe was adevoted andpas‐sionate abstract artist leaving behind alegacyof creativityand expression His life wasdeeply inter‐twinedwiththe worldof art,where he found both purpose andpeace.A giftedpainter,Philippe pouredhis heartintoevery canvas. In lieu of flowers, donations canbemadeto the United CajunNavy, an organizationthatplayeda pivotal role in thesearch for Philippe.Contributions can be sent to United Cajun Navy,2053 W. Magna Carta Place, BatonRouge, LA70815 or to https:// www.unitedcajunnavy.org/ donate/.Pleaseinclude our EINonthe MEMO por‐tionofyourcheck:UCN EIN:82-5013897. Online condolences maybeof‐fered at www.gardeno fmemoriesmetairie.com

Guillot, Gail Marie

Ice, Robert Stephens 'Bob'

Dyhrkopp, Erik Felix

Holdeman Jr., Charles Calvin

CharlesCalvin

Mason, Gladys TheresaGautier

Gladys TheresaGautier

Masondepartedthislifeon October 2, 2025, at theage of97. Anativeand lifelong residentofNew Orleans, Louisiana,Gladyswas born onSeptember 8, 1928, to Edmund andIrmaJones Gautier,the fourth of nine children. Shewas the beloved wife of thelate RonaldF.Mason,Sr.,with whomshe shared 66 years ofmarriage, andthe de‐voted mother of sixchil‐dren, to whomshe gave her unconditionallove. Gladysgraduated from Booker T. Washington High School andwas employed asa cook at St.Josephand UrsulineCatholicSchools. She waslater recruitedby the YMCA,where she servedinthe cafeteriaand asa counselorina child displacementprogram Gladystook greatpleasure inlife’ssimplejoys, includ‐ing cooking, sewing,play‐ing cards, andtryingher luckwithscratch-off tick‐ets.Gladysissurvivedby her children,Ronald(Be‐linda)Mason,Jr.,David (Shelia)Mason,Shelia (Rodney)Bailey, Darlene (Alan)Williams, and StevenMason.She is also survivedbyten grandchil‐dren: NiaMason,Christo‐pherMason-Williams, Quentin Mason, Gaylan Williams,Jeremy(Can‐dace) Mason, Brittney (Jared) Williams-Reese, Jared Mason, Kenan(Lau‐ren)Mason,Teresa Williams,and MasonBai‐ley;and sevengreatgrandchildren:Jeremy Mason Jr Gharri Reese, OakleyMason,Caleb Mason,Elias,Arsene Reese, andbabygirl Mason,due in December Her survivingsiblings, Ed‐mondGautier andLeonard Gautier,are also left to mourn herpassing.She was also adevoted friend and mother figure to many who were touchedbyher kindnessand love.Asshe entersGod’s kingdom, Gladysislovinglyreunited withher parents, Edmund and Irma Gautier; herhus‐band, Ronald Mason, Sr.; her belovedsecondson, GaryMason andher two grandsons,RonaldF Mason III andBernell Mason.She wasalsopre‐ceded in deathbyher sib‐lings:brothers, Leon (Vi‐vian) Gautier, Noel Gautier, and LloydGautier andsis‐ters, Doris(Nolan) Hamil‐ton,Emelda(James) Beau‐dion, andShirley (Everett) Labat.Visitationwillbe heldonTuesday,October 14, 2025, at 9:00 am at D.W. RhodesFuneralHome, 3933 WashingtonAvenue,New Orleans,Louisiana.Rosary willbegin at 9:30 am and her Celebrationoflifewill followat10:00 am andcan belivestreamedbyvisiting www.facebook.com/D.W RhodesFuneralHome/live IntermentwillbeinSt. Louis Cemetery No.3 Arrangementsentrusted to D.W.RhodesFuneral Home, New Orleans, LA.Please visit www.rhodesfuneral. com to sign theguestbook

McAdam Sr., Michael Bertrand

MichaelBertrand McAdam, Sr.diedpeacefully athis home on October5 2025, at theage of 90. He is survivedbyhis four chil‐dren, MichaelB.McAdam, Jr. (Cheryl),Laura M. Rosa‐mond(Sam),Colleen M. Nusloch (Hank),Patrick E. McAdam(Susan),his seven grandchildren, Chad M.McAdam(Liz),Victoria M.Marcev(Darrell),Brit‐tanyM.Ledet (Jared), Michelle R. Dipuma (Brett), Kristen M. Rosamond, MaryG.Nusloch,Caroline A.Nusloch,and hisseven great-grandchildren,Do‐minic Marcev,Prescott Marcev, MasonLedet Camille Dipuma,Harlan Hintz,HudsonHintz,and Hawkins Hintz. He waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis lov‐ing wife of 61 years, Patri‐cia Kemp McAdam,his par‐ents, GraceE.McAdamand JosephG.McAdam, Sr., and his siblings,JosephG McAdam, Jr., CarolM Weaver, andBertrandC McAdam. Mike graduated fromSt. Aloysius High School in 1953. He earned a B.S.inelectricalengineer‐ing from LouisianaState Universityin1958.During his time at LSU, he wasan activememberofthe New‐man Club.Heservedinthe NavyReservesand enjoyed a successful career as an electricalengineer working tohelpbuild theLouisiana Superdome,and at NASA, where he earned thepres‐tigious Silver Snoopy Award.His greatfaith was asteadypresenceinhis

life,highlighted by histime spent in theResurrection ofOur Lord Men’sClub, decades of attendingMan‐resaretreats, membership ofthe St.Dominic Knights ofColumbusCouncil #3729, andmanyyears of being acommitted Adorer atthe St.Dominic Adora‐tionChapel. Hishobbies in‐cludedrunning with the 5:20Club, painting with the Jefferson ArtGuild, fishing, crabbing,and square danc‐ing with hiswifePat in the Pelican Squaressquare dancing club.Hewas an activememberofthe Brother Martin Plus 50 alumnigroup andcontin‐ued to meet hisfellow teammates from theSt. Aloysiusfootball team for lunchmonthly throughout his life.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe funeralMassat St. Angela Merici Catholic Church,901 BeverlyGarden Drive in Metairie on Friday October 17,2025, at 1:00 PM. Visitation will be held atthe church beginningat 11:00 AM.Interment will be atGreenwood Cemetery.In lieuof flowers, donations may be made to Brother MartinHighSchool,4401 Elysian Fields Ave, New Or‐leans,LA70122, or Second Harvest Food Bank,700 Ed‐wards Ave, NewOrleans, LA70123. Thefamilyinvites you to shareyour thoughts, fond memories and condolencesonlineat www.greenwoodfh.com

FrankAnthony Mipro, beloved sonand brother, passedawayonTuesday, September 23,2025, at the age of 57 duetocomplica‐tions from myotonic mus‐cular dystrophy. Frankwas borninNew Orleanson September 14,1968, to Max and DorothyMipro.Hewas the 11th childina family of twelvechildrenand alife‐longresidentofNew Or‐leans.Heattended Our Ladyofthe Rosary elemen‐taryschool where he was alsoa parishioner. Frank was agraduateofBrother MartinHighSchool,a Cru‐sader from theclass of ‘87. Beforehebecamedis‐abled,Frank worked as an automechanicathis brother’s automotive shop Frank hada very kind dis‐positionand wasloved by all who knew him. Though helived with muscular dy‐strophy formuchofhis life, he neverlet it define him.Hefaced everychal‐lenge with quietstrength, never complaining, always takingitinstride. Akind and gentle soul,Frank was deeply devotedtohis fam‐ily andbrought warmth and humor to everygath‐ering.Hehad adeeplove for sports andwas apas‐sionate fan of NASCARand professionalfootball. While he rooted forhis hometownNew Orleans Saints, hisheart belonged tothe Dallas Cowboys— a teamhefollowedfaithfully since he wasa little boy. In his younger years, he cher‐ished fishingtrips with his dad and brothers andwas often seen cruising along the lakefrontinhis prized Mustang convertible— a symbolofhis indepen‐dence andjoy forlife. Above all, Frankvalued timespent with family Whetherwatchinga game sharing alaugh,orsimply being together,hefound joy in connection andlove inevery moment.Heispre‐ceded in deathbyhis fa‐therMax AnthonyMipro, Sr.,his sistersDorothy Mipro Davisand Frances Mipro,and hisbrother Max Anthony Mipro, Jr.Heis survivedbyhis mother Dorothy MooreMipro,his brothersConradMipro (Eva),PaulMipro,Matthew Mipro,and Ernest Mipro (Nancy),his sistersBridget Mipro,Susan Mipro, Nancy Mipro Shelby (Bobby),and Marianne Mipro, andmany niecesand nephews. He was thegrandsonofthe lateMax andEthel Mon‐voisinMipro andthe late Edwardand Elvera Poncet Moore. Services were held on Saturday,October 4, 2025, at JacobSchoenand SonsFuneralHome, 3827 Canal Street,New Orleans, LA.

Carl Thomas Morgan was born May14, 1989, in Syracuse, NewYork, and was takenfromusonSep‐tember30, 2025. He is sur‐vived by hispartner Lisa Marie Lienberger,his son Silas Sean Morgan,his motherDebra Rhea Davis, his father Thomas Carl Morgan, andhis sister Elise Lynn Tyoamong so manywho lovedhim.Carl was akid at heart, andhe treasured fatherhood,be‐cause it meanthecould justifiablyreliveall of the thingsheloved from his childhood with hisson.He loved anykindofthrill; rollercoasters, riding his motorcycle, theater, video games,sports, playing music,among so many other things.Carlwas an ambitious andtalented souschefproudly working atBrennan's,and he loved being ateacher in the kitchen as well as beinga chef. Carl spentmany years expandinghis breadth as achefinSan Francisco,working hisway through theMichelincir‐cuit. Whiletheysay "Ifyou lovewhatyou do,you'll never work aday in your life" we don'tfeel like that can applytoa chef's life Carlworkedhis butt off every single daynomatter whatstate he wasinbe‐cause he lovedwhathe did.Hospitality trulywas in his soul.Carl'sbellowing laughterand beaming smile will live on foreverin our hearts.Wehopethat theyserve chickenwings inHeaven. Funeralservices willbeinthe J. Garic SchoenChapelatJacob Schoen& SonFuneral Home, 3827 CanalStreet onMonday, October20, at 12noon.Friends mayvisit withthe familyfrom10 a.m.until Servicetime. Condolences maybeleftat www.schoenfh.com.

Morse,Lillian Helene Cassard

Lillian Helene Cassard

Morse, known to friends and family as "Lil",passed away peacefullyonthe morning of Wednesday October8,2025, at theage of 81. Lilwas borninNew Orleans on May 15, 1944, to thelateJohn Ernest Cassard and thelate Lillian June Nathan Cassard.She was preceded in death by her husband of 46 years, Richard Cenas Morse Jr. She is survivedbyher two children, Richard "Beau" Cenas Morse, IIIand Meghan Helene Morse and her belovedgranddaughter, Milan Peytra LaFlair. She is also survivedbyher twosisters, Suzanne Wiseman and CorinneRico, as wellasahost of nieces and nephews who all lovedher dearly.

Lilgrewupinuptown NewOrleans and graduated fromMercy Academy in 1963. She metthe love of her life and they married on March 28, 1970. She cherishedevery moment withfamily and friends. She lovedvacationing,the holidays, backyard pool parties, puzzles, games and anything else that would bring family and friends together. She had adeepdevotiontoher children and especiallyher onlygrandchild. Youcould fill an entirebedroom with allher family keepsakes, scrapbooks and photos. Lil was also aproud member of theKrewe of Iris for40 years. She was kind, she was generous, she was our rock, and she will be greatly missed. "Your life was a blessing,yourmemory a treasure. You are lovedbeyond words and missed beyond measure"- Renee Wood.

Please joinusincelebrating Lil'slife on Tuesday October 14, 2025, at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home,5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. New Orleans, LA.Visitation will be held from 11AM -1PM with aservicetobegin at 1PM. In Lieu of flowers,the

family requeststhatyou payagooddeedforward

KellyMang Perret,age 61, of Jefferson, La, passed away peacefullyon October2 at East Jefferson Hospital, surrounded by her lovedones. She was born on December 8inNew Orleans, La, the beloved daughter of Charles and Emilie Mang. She was a loving mother to Jeffery, Nicholas, and Justin (Lori Lynn), stepmother to Jason, Danielle, and Angelle (Rocky), and cherishedgrandmother to her grandchildren, Cade, Hailee,Emma, Maddie, Walker, Abbi, Cameron, Caleb,Cameron, Kaylee, Carter, River, Ryker, Colton, Addi, Roman, and Evan.

Kellywillberemembered forthe love she held for her family.She enjoyed reading and watching the Saints play, and she touched thelives of everyone who knewher. She is survivedbyher parents, children, and grandchildren, as well as her brother, Chuck (Darla), and niece, Michelle(Lars), nephews Chaz &Cole, and great-niece Charlotte.She was preceded in deathby her husband,Michael. Acelebration of life will be held on October 18that Center of Jesus theLord CatholicChurch, 1307 Louisiana Ave at 10am. Friends and family are invitedtoattend and celebrateher life.Flowers are welcome.

Arlene CherryPhilipson, 77, passedaway peacefully on September 25, 2025. She wasthe devotedwidow of thelateAlanPhilipson, with whom she shared a remarkable partnership in life,love, and resiliency. Together, they traveled widely—across Asiafor Alan'sbusinessand around theglobe forpleasure—and Arlene embracedevery journey with excitement, curiosity, and unmistakable poise Arlene was thedevoted mother of Andyand Eric, whose memories she protected fiercely and spoke of with unwavering pride. Arlene endured thelossof her father whileshe was stilla child, and then her mother just afew short years later. Thiswas followedbythe unimaginable lossesofbothher sons while they were stillyoung adults. Arlene carried her griefwith extraordinary resilience, meeting life with determination, grace, and even humor. Her strength in theface of heartache became one of herdefining qualities, admired by all who knew her. Her greatest joyinlater years came from being "Nana" to her grandson Edmund, whose accomplishmentsshe followed with boundless pride.She also shared adeeply meaningful and supportive relationship withher daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Crawford, who remained by her side as both family and friend.Their bondwas marked by loyalty, laughter, and profound respect. AnativeofCalifornia, Arlene followedAlan to NewOrleans as ayoung woman and instantly became adevotee to the city's food, culture, and history.While she quickly became aNew Orleans local, Arlene lovedtoengage in cultures and history around thecountry and globe. She wasanavid reader of dailynewspapers and was always eager to engageinconversation around important national and international topics. Arlene was awoman deeply committed to service. She gavegenerously of her time as alongtime volunteer with WYES championing public broadcasting,and spent count-

less hoursvolunteeringat Isidore NewmanSchool duringAndyand Eric's childhood. Knownfor hersharp wit, candor, and commanding presence in spite hermodest height,she earned the nickname "The General"—atitle she embracedwith equal parts pride and humor. Sheled notonlywith authority, but with heart.

Arlene spent alifetime pouringmuchofherself into herfriendships, andin difficult times, those friends lineduptobeat herside, including throwinga 75th birthday party for heratLambeth House and making sure she never felt forgotten. Arlene truly cherished those close friends.

Arlene's legacyisone of strength,loyalty, perseverance, and love—to her family, herfriends, andto theworld she explored with such spirit

Arlene was preceded in death by herparents, Arthurand EstherCherry, herloving husbandof53 years, Alan Philipson, as well as hersons, André Philipson andEric Philipson. Sheissurvived by hergrandson, Edmund Philipson, andher daughter-in-law,Elizabeth Crawford (Keith).She is also survived by herbrotherin-law andsister-in-law, Lyle andCarolePhilipson, herfourloving nephews, RandolphPhilipson (Darnell), BradleyPhilipson (Killian), Stephen Philipson (Laura), and JonPhilipson (Lesley), and seven greatnieces andnephews.

The familywill hold a private celebrationoflife in December.The family wouldliketothank the nursesand staff of St Anna'satLambeth House for theirincrediblecare andwarmth they shared with Arlene over thepast few years. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequests that donationsbemade to the Lambeth House Foundation,Isidore Newman School, or the NationalAlliance on Mental Illness.

Prattini,Linda

Angela Marchand LindaAngelaMarchand Prattini, NewOrleans,LA, 84, died at home on Octo‐ber 6, 2025. Shewas born September 9, 1941, the daughterofPaulJohn MarchandJr. andGloria DelesdernierMarchand McCurnin. Lindagraduated fromSacredHeart andwas a proudalumni. Sheat‐tendedUNO.She retired fromJewishFamilySer‐vices as an office manager. Linda lovedher life in New Orleans.There wasn't one partofthe city shedidn't love. Shewas always going toeventsand parties throughoutthe city.She was always thelifeofthe party.She lovedtobowl. Linda wasthe founder of the Zodiacs, awomen's bowling team famous for its elaboratecostumes. She sewedand designed the outfits.She competed withthemfor 55 yearsin various tournaments, most notably theUSBC(WIBC) Nationaltournament. Whereshe hadreceived honorsfor over.50years of competing.Her Zodiac cos‐tumes areinthe Bowling HallofFame. Shewas in‐ductedintothe Italian AmericanSportsHallof FameinNew Orleansand named aPeople'sHealth Championfor 2016 at her favoriteSundayactivity, a Saintsgame. In the1990s Linda also founded theI'm a Dancer,dance club.She would plan partiesand gatheringsatvarious clubs and places throughout the area. Youcould catchher Dancing thenight away withfriends andher beloved "Dancing Sal".Her ChristmasDance parties

were events nottobe missed. Sheattendedmul‐tiple carnival balls every year. Shewould fill awhole floatwithpeopleinChris Owens'EasterParade. Linda lovedphotography and travel.She always had a camera andwould pho‐tographeverything. She visited 49 states andmulti‐ple countriesincluding Italy, Spain, andMexico. She waspredeceased by her belovedSal Anselmo, Wecan envision herdanc‐ing in heaven with him. Linda's survivorsInclude: her sister,Carol Marchand Arnaud, andher brother, PaulJ Marchand.Alsosur‐vivingare themanynieces and nephews: Cherie and James Maser, AngieMaser JohnArnaud, Robert Ar‐naud, Sharon andKevin Stokes, LindseyStokes, HallieStokes, Davidand Kim Arnaud,Hanah Ar‐naud, Nicole Arnaud,Ruby Roberts Paul andMonique Schaefer, Josephineand EricJackson,Frances Jack‐son,Bryce Schaefer and Merlinand TracySchaefer, MarleySchaefer, and MitchellSchaefer. Visita‐tions will be held on Wednesday,October 15, 2025, from 6pmto8 pm at Jacob Schoen andSon Fu‐neral Home,3827 Canal Street,New Orleans, LA, and on Thursday,October 16, 2025, from 9amto10 amSt. AnthonyofPadua Catholic Church,4640 Canal St NewOrleans,LA 70119. AMassofChristian Burialwillthenbeheldat 10amand intermentwill followatHopeMausoleum

Mandeville,LA- Janice PedelahoreRabito, age 93, of Mandeville,Louisiana, passed away on Friday, October3,2025, at her home surrounded by her loving family. Shewas born on January 27, 1932, in NewOrleans,Louisiana, thedaughterofJoseph Earl Pedelahoreand Julia Akers Haight of New Orleansand Ponchatoula respectively. Sheisprecededindeath by herdevoted husband of 69 years, Dr.Felix G. Rabito; andher brother, Joseph Earl Pedelahore. Sheissurvivedbytheir four children, Gia M. Rabito (SidBhansali), Felicia A. Rabito(William Ellison) Felix G. Rabito, Jr.(Mary Frances Slahetka Rabito) andMichael S. Rabito (RobinJermannRabito); six grandchildren, Katherine DiLeo(David Brand), AraEllison, Emily Ellison, Felix M. Rabito, JuliaRabito, andThomas Rabito; and manyextended familymembersand friends.

Shewas agraduate of Eleanor McMain High School andSoutheastern Louisiana University, majoring in Biology. She workedasa medical technologist at Baptist and CharityHospitals fascinated by sickle cell research before meeting andmarryingher perfect partner, Felix Rabito. Janicejoined Felix on theirfamilyjourneytogether -supporting hisgrowing career and medical practice,creating an active andcelebratory

Morgan,CarlThomas

Perret,Kelly Mang

Mipro, FrankAnthony

Rabito,Janice Pedelahore

Philipson, Arlene Cherry

OPINION

Caesars Superdome gets several votesof confidence

Our state got some good news last week when officials announced that college football’sbiggest ticket would be returning tothe Caesars Superdome in 2028. The College Football Playoff title game is always ahuge event,bringing in fans from around the country,or, if acertain Louisiana team makes arun, fans from all around thestate.

College football expanded its playoffs to 12 teams last year,and it will be the first time theSuperdome hosts atitle game underthat format. The CFP National Championship game will be played on Jan. 24, 2028, as the capstone of the 2027 season. It was another welcome shot in the arm for the Dome after anew lease for the Saintsfinally got signed. The state and the Saintsagreed to a10-year dealwill keep the team in New Orleans through 2035. Thehighly contentious negotiations to reach an agreement resulted in the Superdome missing aSeptember deadline for bids to host the 2031 Super Bowl. We are hopeful that those missteps can be smoothed over,however,and that the Dome will be under consideration.

The CFP title game and the Super Bowl, falling as they do in the midst of the Carnival season, always make it alot more crowded in New Orleans in January,but the hotels and restaurants don’tmind. And whenwesee ourstate featuredprominently on the national, or even global, stage, it makes it all worthwhile. There’snoquestion football is huge in our state, and these events cement New Orleans’ and the Superdome’splace in that sport’slore. It’sahistory that includes hosting five collegiate national champion games. The 2028 game will be only the second one in the Dome in the CFP era, the previous one being in 2020 when LSU defeated Clemson to claim the title.Then there’sthe Sugar Bowl, one of college football’s premier bowl games. It has been held in the Superdome since moving from Tulane Stadium in 1975. And with 2025’sSuper Bowl in the Superdome, New Orleans served as host of the big game for the 11th time. Miami is the only other city with an equal number of Super Bowls. It seems natural to us that organizers of some of thenation’smost popular sporting events want to come to New Orleans. We have an atmosphere like no other.But it really doesn’t happenwithout alot of behind-the-scenes work from the businesscommunity, civic organizations and state and city leaders. We are glad they continue to do what it takes towin these events. The Superdome has long been central toour image as astate, andweare glad to see that even as it turned 50 this year,it’sasbeloved as ever. We hope, in its golden anniversary year, the best is yet to come.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

SellingLa.’s waterabad idea fornow

It’snot often that Louisiana balks at an offer to sell its natural resources for cash.

That’swhy it’s apleasant surprise to see two statelegislators warn the Sabine River Authority that any attempt to sell water from the Toledo BendReservoir is anonstarter.It’seven better that the two legislators, Rep.Brett Geymann, R-LakeCharles, and Sen. Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville, chair committees that would need to bless any such sale. For thosewho have not spent time on the bucolic, 186,000-acre, 65-milelong reservoir located on Louisiana’s western border,let me explain. Toledo Bendwas created when the Sabine River was dammed in the1960s. It’s becomeextremely popular as arecreation and fishing spot for thousands from both Louisiana and Texas.

Butfor several years,there have been discussions aboutselling aportion of Louisiana’sshare of the water to acompany called Aqueduct Partners,which would pipe it to water-starved cities in Texas. Proponents argue that this sale could be done with little to no impact on lake levels and generate far more revenue than hydroelectric generation. Butthe idea has drawnopposition from many locals, whoargue that such asale could cause water levels to drop and makethe reservoir less amenable to recreation.

Earlier this week, Geymann and Hensgens sent aletter to Louisiana’s Sabine River Authority,urging them to reject any proposed sale.

to the state taxpayers, and Ijust don’t believe we should be selling it,” Hensgens said.

It’sgoverned jointly by Louisiana andTexas, through two different authorities, one on each side of the border.Water that flows through thedam on the reservoir’ssouthernend is used to generatehydroelectric power; each side has theauthority to sell some of thewater,though theproceeds must be split

“Weurge you to abandon these plans and safeguard thelong-term interests of our people, economy and environment,” Geymannand Hensgens wrote. “Toledo Bendisvital to Louisiana residents, businesses and wildlife.”

They are right about that. But more important is something Hensgens told this newspaper’sDavid Mitchell.

“I just believe that in the next century,water is going to be the most important natural resource we’ve got, and it is Louisiana’swater.Itbelongs

Hensgens is absolutely right about this. Water is an increasingly valuable natural resource. Fortunately forLouisiana, the state is blessed with plenty of it both on the surface and under it. But there is little statewide impetus to take an accounting of just how much, despite increasing demands from industry,agriculture and, potentially, moredata centers, which use alot of water In other words, Louisiana is obviously water rich, but we have no idea exactly how rich we are. And until we know how much we have, we shouldn’t be selling what we do have, no matter how tempting the dollar signs dangled by rich Texans. Thankfully,Geymann and Hensgens’ letter seemstoindicate, at least for now,that no such deal will go forward. It maybe, at somepoint in the future, that selling Toledo Bend water is an idea that makes sense from a financial and resource-management perspective. But that timehas not yet come.

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.

Ourjobs as journalists are constantly evolving. What is the job of one person today was probably thejob of five people when Istarted my career decades ago. Although you may look at your favoritewriter as aperson who gathers and reports news, that person is often writing headlines, copy editing, selecting photos, posting stories on theweb and circulating those stories online. While it’s true that many small newsroomshave been one-man or onewoman operations, it is truly amazing how much reporters and editorsat mostnews outlets must know about all aspects of news gathering. There are some benefits to this change. The more reporters and editorsknow how to do, themore they can makesure thewords and images associated withtheir stories are relevant and the more quickly they can get

stories online.

Butthere are also somedownsides. With attention spreadtomanyother tasks, it can be easy to lose sight that readers care about thebasics most. We get plenty of outraged letterswhen readers spot typos in stories or obvious factual mistakes that they feel should have been caught by editors. Ihave to say Iunderstand.Nothing erodes trust in what you are reading more than catching aglaring error.“Did anyone read this?” readers sometimes ask. Andyes, while editors do read all copy before it is published, we do sometimes miss things in the rush of the day.Whenwesee mistakes, we vow to correct them as soon as possible, and we try to be as transparent as possible about that. Of course, there are someways to minimizethe chance of errors, including having moreeyeballs on astory

As an editor,when I’mracing through copy,I sometimes remind myself to slow down. Even the best stories can be undermined by sloppy editing. We hear you, dear readers, and we want to give you the best product possible. Turning to our letters inbox, forthe weekofSept. 11-18, we received 65 letters. The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and its aftermath was the topic that prompted the most letters, with eight people weighing in. These included letters about the suspension of comedian Jimmy Kimmel for his remarks about the events following the murder.Then twotopics got four letters each: the National Guard being deployed in U.S. cities and changes in access to the COVID vaccine.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPage Editor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

Arnessa Garrett

Faimon Roberts

COMMENTARY

La.mustreplace canceled wetlands projects

Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration seems far more eager to cancel wetlands restoration projects than to say what shouldbe done instead.

For the second time this year,the administration on Thursday canceled a Mississippi River diversion program, this time the Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion on the river’s east bank, across from Delacroix. In July,the state canceled the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion on the west bankofthe rivernear Myrtle Grove.

The state already had spent some$619 million on MidBarataria and some $70 million on Mid-Breton. The former was slatedtocost atotal of $3 billion while GordonDove, chairman of the state’sCoastal Protection and Restoration Authority,said thelatter’scost had grownfrom an estimated $800 million to $1.8 billion. Both projects had attracted

spirited opposition from seafoodindustryinterests, while MidBarataria also found enemies amongthose worried about hundreds of dolphins the freshwater diversion was projectedtokill. Before the Mid-Barataria project was nixed,I had written twice that it was awell-meaning but illadvised endeavor.Asa decadeslong advocate for coastal wetlandrestoration, though,Ithought it crucial to identify numerousother options for marsh replenishment to replacethe massiveMississippi River diversion. Among themany optionswere (and are) smaller diversion projects, backfilling of oil pipelinecanals, use of dredged material from the Mississippi River and elsewhere, and major efforts to seed new oyster reefs. So far,at least, that concern aboutalternate strategies for coastal salvation seems stunninglyunemphasized by Landry

and Dove. Andeven where Dove has madenoises in that direction, specificityhas been notably lacking. Almostall the administration’s verbiage has been about how thetwo diversion projects had becometoo expensive —but not about how expensive, in manifold other ways, it will be to keep lettingthe wetlands erode at afurious pace.

More than seven weeks have passed since thecancellation of Mid-Barataria was announced, and that decision had been in the works for monthsbefore that Those seven weeks alone, not to mention thelong run-up to the decision, should have been plenty long enough for officials tohave indicated progress toward alternative arrangements Likewise, Dovesaid publicly as early as May that the cancellation of Mid-Breton was likely.Why weren’tofficials ready,the very day they announced the project’s death, to say what elsethey hope

to do to preservethe state’scoastal heritage? Or,for that matter, how thefinances will work out, with tens of millions of dollars apparently downthe drain and with hundreds of millions potentially available —but also potentially forfeitable if the federal governmenttries to claw the funds back. Dove did say the state would seek toreprogram the money slated for Mid-Breton forarange of projects, including the use of dredged sediment in the Barataria Basin. Good. But what else? Where are the details? What are themetrics forsuccess? How will he guarantee accountability? Ihave no idea if the abandonmentofthe Mid-Breton project was the right call. Perhaps it was. Butitisfoolhardy to say,asDove did, that much smaller-scale, existing projects mean “you don’t have any need for” sediment flow of the sort Mid-Breton was intended to produce. The existing projects arecreating apittance of the marsh restoration needed

to counteract the 20 square miles, at the very least, that the state is losing each year.Louisiana’s citizens deserve plans much more comprehensive than the administration is offering.

Frankly,ifnoannouncements of farmore substance are soon forthcoming, the silence will be a major example of governmental malpractice. Toomuch work, for decades, has gone into attracting too much money,tohelp combat too big aneed, foritall to be frittered away The administration should be giving asense of urgency here, not of torpor.Ofenergy,not of sloth. Of specificity,not vagueness. And of transparency,not obfuscation.

Unless something changes soon, the administration’sreputation forgood stewardship of Louisiana land and finances will disappear even faster than the wetlands.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com

Voting Rights Actcounterspartisangames

It’snot astretchto say that Section 2ofthe Voting Rights Act —the part of the landmark 1965 civil rights legislation at the center of aLouisiana case that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear this week —gave us much of modern American politics. It created asystem in which minority voters could finallyelect representatives from districts drawntomake sure their voices werenot intentionally minimized. We’veseen the effect in Washington,where the CongressionalBlack Congressgrew to apowerful force, and also closertohome, where districts drawn under theVRA’s terms routinely elect politicians who represent the majority of their constituents’ political preferences.

That’sthe visible part.

that overwhelmingly Democratic districts

ship is not remotely the point

Gaining still morepartisan advantage? Now that is.

—think Troy Carter’s New Orleans-based 2nd Congressional District, which is majority Black frequently abut districts such as Steve Scalise’s suburban 1st, which is overwhelmingly largely Republican and White. Pols in both types of districts tend to have very easy reelections. There’sahuge upside to better representation, butthe system has adownsidetoo, in that it relieves politiciansofhaving to listen to constituents who don’t share their views androbs voters of areal choice when it comes to philosophy.Ifyou’re seeking answers to whyour country’s politics have become so toxically polarized, this is definitely one place to look.

But the practice has also given us the homogenous districtsthat border these voting rightsdistricts,which too elect politicians who reflect an area’sdominant political opinion.

In acountry where racial voting and residential patternsoften track political party,thatmeans

Whichwould make for aperfectly good argument in favor of the plaintiff’s side in the Callais case, achallenge to Louisiana’s newlydrawn 6th District alleging that it resulted from arace-based gerrymanderthat violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution —ifnot for theobvious fact that reducing partisan-

The underlying truthisthat districting through thelegislative process is about the most political act there is, and is just about always about creating winners and losers.

In fact, it’simpossible to view thechallenge to Louisiana’scurrent map,which features two Black majority and Democratic districtsand four Whitemajority and Republican ones, as separate and apart from theRepublican drive to use whatever levers they can find to keep control of a narrowly divided Congress next year

It’swhy Texas and other Republican states —atPresident Donald Trump’sovert urging —are takingthe rare tack of redrawing districtsmid-decade, to scratch and scrape for any possible district they can pick up. It’salso why California is trying to change its law so that Democrats there can counter the effort.

Andit’snot far-fetched to think thesympathetic SupremeCourt majority,which has in recent years weakened other partsof theVRA, might help out by using

theLouisiana case to minimize or eliminate the requirement that districtsbedrawnwith race at least somewhat in mind. Until the last election, the state had five majority White Republican districts to one majority Black Democratic one. By the numbers, that’san83%-17% advantage, despite the fact that thestate’spopulation is about a thirdBlack according to the last census, and that Democratic candidates for president —probably theeasiest measure of overall partisan leanings —typically get close to 40% of Louisiana’svotes. The state Legislature’sRepublican majority has long resisted efforts to even things out, including amove to create amore closely split district in the state’snorthwest corner that either party might win When courts ordered asecond minority district to be drawn under theVRA, lawmakers carved out asafe space forHouse Speaker Mike Johnson and drew adistrict, eventually wonbyCleo Fields, that seemed designed to invite achallenge which, the high court is indicating, could lead to a broader diminishing of Section 2.

This is allincredibly compli-

cated and messy.There are no strict numerical standards for determining Voting Rights Act compliance, and there are conflicting rules on what factors can be considered. And admittedly,there’d be advantages to having morecompetitive districts —something Texas might wind up finding out if enough of the Democrats that lawmakers there split up among Republican districts wind up making them less reliably Republican. The best idea on the table is having districts in all states drawnbyindependent commissions —areform, ironically,that California adopted and is now attempting to reverse so as to not unilaterally disarm against states like Texas.

Ideally,these would offer true equal protection foreveryone, including those whose voices have historically been minimized and marginalized.

Getting rid of this key part of the Voting Rights Act and giving the politicians carte blanche sure isn’tthe solution.

Email Stephanie Grace at sgrace@theadvocate.com.

DerrickGrovesmadefinding him‘to easy’

Derrick Groves clearly likes taking risks.

And he’spretty good at it.

Groves was captured in arespectable, middle-class Black neighborhood in Atlanta on Wednesday after being on the run for five months.

Groves is abad man, according to his long rap sheet and law enforcement officials who had been chasing him. He was convicted of using an AK-47-style rifle to murder two men on Mardi Gras in 2018. He also was convicted of two counts of attempted second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder

The convicted killer was behind bars when he escaped —orwas “let go” to use Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson’s preferred phrase —onMay 16. “ToEasy LOL”was the now-infamous, misspelled New Orleans taunt the 10 Orleans Parish jail inmateslefton acell wall before leaving the jail.” Groves was found in aone-story home with abasement near Campbellton Road and Honeysuckle Lane. There were othersinthe home, according to DistrictAttorney Jason Williams,who made the comments Thursday during an interview on WBOK’s“Good Morning Show,” which Ihost.

He saidneighbors saw someone wholookedlike Groves peeking outofthe windows from time to time during whatmight have been astay of severalweeks to a month there.The AtlantaPolice Departmentworked with the U.S. Marshals Serviceand otherstodeploytear gas canistersand aK-9 officertohelpand found Groves in acrawl space. He’ll be heading to Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola where the other nine escapeesare being held. Apparently,Groves likes the goodlife. The house where he was found is located in SWATS, the SouthwestAtlanta area —roughly

including neighborhoods like Ben Hill, Adamsville, Cascade, Oakland City,Campbellton Road and Greenbriar.MyHotlanta peeps in the know call that area the SWATS, as in ‘Southwest Atlanta TooStrong.” Locals, especially my younger GenX friends, started calling the area SWATSand the term took off when OutKastand Goodie Mob startedusing it just as folks weremaking Atlanta hip by calling the cityThe ATL. Campbellton, which is on the edge of the SWATS, has seen better days, but the nabe is hanging on. SWATSisn’tone neighborhood. It’s agroup of neighborhoods

and an ATLculture. Think the French Quarter,but Black. Think Treme whenitwas Black. It’s part city,part suburb because the SWATSincludes College Park, which sits in Clayton and Fulton counties and East Point, which is in Fulton County The SWATSissignificant in Atlanta culture, history and politics. Every Atlanta mayor since Mayor Maynard Jackson has lived in the SWATS. Others who have lived there include baseball great Hank Aaron; U.S. Rep. John Lewis, he of “good trouble;” and the Rev.Joe Lowery, co-founder of the SouthernChristian Leadership Conference withMartin Luther King Jr Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens lives in the SWATS. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms grew up there. Former United States Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, aNew Orleans native, lives there. If you’re on the lam, why choose Atlanta rather than Des Moines, Hilton Head or Long Island? Or Cleveland? If Atlanta, why choose themostprominent Black neighborhood? “Trying to hide in Atlanta was apoor choice for Groves,” said Jim Joyner, U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force Commander We know whenGroves and the othersleft the city jail. We don’t know where Groves went from there —orhow long he’sbeen

hanging out in Atlanta. Dayby day and week by week, his colleague escapees were recaptured, but Groves became atemporary criminal legend.

Five months is far from life with law enforcement wondering where youare, but Groves built a bad boy fan club that was rooting for him while he was gone and even after his capture.

“You had agood run Derrick,” one person posted. “It was agood run my boy!” another posted. “Homie gone be rich in jail. Lifetime movie gone be fire,” wrote another Really? We should want bad guys off the street.

I’m not sure I’d head to aprominent neighborhood like the SWATS if Ididn’twant law enforcement to find me.Seems“to easy” to me Idon’tknow muchabout how the film industry operates, but I’m sure there are movie people buzzing about ascript about aman on the lam who blew akiss to onlookers upon his capture. If that movie is made, Iwonder whetherhe’ll get to watch it and Iwonder whetherhe’ll cash in while living along life behind bars. Five months? “Toeasy.” Not strong. Bad boy off the streets. Good. Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

Stephanie Grace

Will Sutton

Quin Hillyer

Derrick Groveswas recaptured in Atlanta on Wednesday

with meteorologistDamonSingleton

in great shape.The UV Index is at the “veryhigh” level, so be sure to protect your skin.

homelife. She was adevoted wife and mother and dear friend to many. She was known for her impeccably decorated and maintained homes and gardens, her gourmet -level everyday meals and her range of delectable home-made cookies. She was aloverof art and enjoy painting in oils and watercolor specifically. She was an avid golfer and tennis player and volunteered for avariety of church, school and medical societies. She was known for her sensible and witty view of life and had many admirers of all ages, stages and walks of life. Wherever she went, she made an impression anda lasting friend. The Rabito Family would like to thank her team of loving caregivers over the years, specifically Shelena Gervais, Loyda Groff and Da'Jah Johnson.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the memorial service on Saturday,October 11, 2025, at 12:00PMatMary Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 1501 West Causeway Approach,Mandeville, Louisiana, with visitation beginning at 11:00 AM. Interment willbeheld privately at All Saints Mausoleum, 5100 PontchartrainBoulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana

E. J. Fielding Funeral Home of Covington, Louisiana, is honored to be entrusted with Mrs. Rabito's funeral arrangements. Her familyinvites you to share thoughts, memories,and condolences by signing an online guestbook at www.ejfieldingfh.com.

DEATHS continued from Jr.Theyhad threedaugh‐ters, EarlineCaruso (Steve),Darline LaFrance (Larry), andSharline Spiess. Shewas preceded indeath by herparents Henry andFlorenceEncar‐des Bienvenue,her beloved auntsMildredWilde (Harold) andMae Lee. She willbejoinedinheaven withher beautifulgrand‐daughters,NicoleD Stevens andNicoleC Smith.She is survived by her grandchildren Stephanie (Tom), andAn‐gelinaand Steven Caruso (Leanne). Hergreat-grand‐childrenEmma andAubree Stevens,LucaCaruso, Jared Smith, andMadeline and Mckenzie Deibel.She loved herchildren, grand‐children, andgreat-grand‐childrensomuch. They wereher life;her pride and joy andweall live in her legacy. Shealsoloved her granddogs,Penny and Ozzie.She gave us allso manymemoriestocherish forever.She knew howto havefun.One of herfa‐voritethingstodowas to traveland talk on the phone with hercousin Haroleen West (Bill). They would enjoytalking about all of us andHaroleen's daughters Leah Dawsey (Pastor Michael),Lindy Chevalier (Andre), and their families.She loved sharing memories with her lifelongfriends whomshe willalsobemeeting in heavenMae Fleury,Annie Tesivich, andTessie Slavich.Special thanks to everyoneatRouquette Lodge andTrinity Trace. Serviceswillbeheldon Tuesday,October 14,2025 atJacob Schoen andSon FuneralHome, 3827 Canal Street,New Orleans, LA Visitationfor friendsand familywillbegin at 9:00 a.m.followedbya Mass of Christian burial at 11:00 a.m.Interment will be at Cypress Grove.

It

with

WedigJr.,Robert'Bobby'

Robert (Bobby)Wedig, Jr.,a lifelong resident of Kenner, Louisiana, died at the ageof69onOctober 6, 2025. He is survived by his friendand former wife Christine S. Wedig; two daughters,Jessica Ragas Harrell (Patrick)and Tobi Wedig Ballentine (Mathew); andsix grand‐children: Peyton Harrell, El‐liana Harrell, Owen Ballen‐tine, GavinBallentine, Colin Ballentine, andAmelieBal‐lentine.Heisalsosurvived byhis siblings,Danny Wedig,Keith Wedig(Carol), Ricky Wedig(Cindy),and PatriciaWedig Glass(Ron‐nie)and numerous nieces and nephews. He waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis par‐ents, Robert R. Wedig, Sr and Audrey Fossier Wedig. Bobby wasa passionate athlete who spenthis childhood on theball fields ofCarrolltonplayground, where he formed many lifelongfriendships and where he firstutteredthe words,“Yeah youright!” and “Get up in there!”He later became an avid golferand cherishedhis weekends at AudubonGolf Clubwithhis golfing pals A visitation will be held at Leitz-Eagan FuneralHome inMetairie, LA,onMonday, October 13, 2025 from 9:00 amuntil 11:00 am.A Mass ofChristian Burial will begin at 11:00 am.A pri‐vateburialwithfamilywill takeplace at alater date In lieu of flowers, please considerdonatingto: Fore!Kids at https://zur ichgolfclassic.com/ product/donate/orGiving HopeRetreat at https:// neworleansmission.org

Williamson, Richard Dean 'Dick'

Ponchatoula resident Richard Dean "Dick Williamson passed peacefully into the lovingarms of hisHeavenly Father on September30, 2025, followinga prolongedillness. He wasbornSeptember 9, 1952, in Farmington, New Mexico, thefirst child of E.L. "Chick"and Trudy Williamson.

The Williamson family moved to theNorthshore in theearly1960s, becomingone of the "pioneer" families of TchefuncteClub Estates. Those formative years deeply shaped Dick's faith,loveofthe outdoors, and wide-ranging interests. Amember of CovingtonPresbyterian Church as achild, he developed astrong Christian foundationand, in later years,becamea respected Biblical scholarand teacher. Dick loved Scouting. Weekly meetingsatthe TchefuncteScout Hut and summers at Philmont Scout Ranch cultivatedhis enduringpassion for the outdoors—especially camping and canoeing. He never tired of exploring the natural beautyofthe Gulf Coast.

He wasa proud graduateofthe McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Exceptfor his timethere, Dick spent most of hislife in and around NewOrleans. Early in hiscareer, he worked on seismographand surveying crews, andasanoil field diver and tender in theGulfofMexico and the North Sea.

He later earned degrees in English and amaster's in film and videofrom the UniversityofNew Orleans. Dick worked as atechnical writer and videographer forSubsea International and Tulane University before pursuing doctoral studies at Louisiana State University. He earned a Ph.D. in history, specializing in U.S.-Soviet relations and the Berlin Crisis. His

first book, FirstSteps to Détente: American Diplomacyinthe Berlin Crisis (Lexington Books) receivedwideacclaim in academic circles.

Aman of wide-ranging intellect andcuriosity,Dick hada lifelong love forthe American West, Native American history,science fiction, andhistory in allits forms. Hiswesternmystery collection, Westward Strange: TallTales of Western Mystery, was published as the first in a planned two-book series; he wasatworkonits companionvolume, Southern Gothic, at the time of his injury Beyond hisscholarship Dick enjoyed playing guitar, cheeringonLSU football, nature photography, andcollectingold records. An avidswimmer,he swam amile aday and remained remarkablyfit and striking in appearance well into hisseventies—still black-hairedat73, never showinga hint of gray. Knownfor his brilliant, dry witand quietgoodness, he will be deeplymissed by allwho knew him

Dick was preceded in death by his father, E.L. "Chick"Williamson,and

hisbrother,David Williamson. He is survived by his mother,TrudyWilliamson; hissisters, Nan(Herb) Hamilton andJudy (Steve) Blaising; hisnephew, Jack Blaising; andhis niece, MegHamilton Thefamily wishes to express theirdeepest gratitude to hisdevoted caregivers—Deidre Hart, Anya Bougeois, Kana Williams,and Shirley Long—and to Andra Wilson, whofaithfully oversaw allaspects of his care E. J. Fielding Funeral HomeofCovington, Louisiana, is honored to be entrustedwithMr. Williamson's funeral arrangements. Hisfamily invitesyou to share thoughts, memories, and condolencesbysigningan onlineguestbook at www.ejfieldingfh.com

Spiess, Valery Bienvenue

SPORTS

From8-manfootball to NFL, Sanker

rom 8 man foot

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Back in April, Brandon Staley had completed alate-night workoutat theNew Orleans Saints’ facilitywhen, rather than shower or go home,the defensivecoordinator studied more prospectsfor the NFL draft.

Stillsweatyand gross— or “fresh,”ashecalledit—Staley went down alistofsafeties and studied them onebyone.Hestarted with theirtackling tape, moved to theirplaysonthe ball, shifted to how they performed in the slot andfinishedbywatching entire games.

Staley was there for hours. Months later, he stillvividly recalls this night because it wasthe first time he watched Jonas Sanker “Histacklingtapewas as good as any safety in thedraft,” Staley said. Sanker’s tackling wasn’talways noticed Longbefore he wasdrafted by theSaints in the third round, he wasused to being ignored. Growing up in Charlottesville, Virginia, Sankerplayed eight-man football at TheCovenantSchool —and because of it, colleges were slow to pay attention

Perhapscollege coaches were quick to dis-

miss the level of competition, as each week Covenant would steamroll its opponent. Perhaps they scoffedateight-man football, where three fewer players on each side of theballcreates loadsofspace anda trackmeet pace. Perhapstheywere too busyattending normal high school games. Butthose whobotheredtolookcould have discovered aplayer whosent opponents flying off theground with violent hits, anda playerwho handleda variety of rolesand had the capacity to thrive in each of them. Theycould have discovered Jonas Sanker. No one on the Saintsunexpectedly has been asked to handle more than the ä See SAINTS, page 7C

RINSE, REPEAT

LSU

takes off for the end zone to score atouchdowninthe second half of agameagainst South Carolina on SaturdayatTiger

LSU won20-10.

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Brian Kelly’smessage to histeam at halftime was simple: Eliminate the catastrophic mistakes.

“If we play cleaner,we’re in great shape,” the LSU coach told the LSU radio network.

Afterfumbling theballatthe goal line, throwing an interception and scoring just three points off of two South Carolina turnovers in the first half, LSU wasn’tquite done squandering opportunities or making massive mistakes Saturdaynight against South Carolina. But thanks to another superb defen-

sive performance, another interception from fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in the third quarter wasn’tenough to cost LSU awin.

The Tigers took down SouthCarolina 20-10 in Tiger Stadium on Saturday, improving to 5-1 despiteturning the ball over three times and failing to cash in on opportunities created by their defense.

LSUpressured and harassed South Carolina quarterback and potential first-round pick LaNorris Sellers from thefirstsnapofthe night until thelast, held theGamecocks to 317 yards and forced apair of turnovers.

LSU outlasts SouthCarolinawith familiar spotty offense, stoutdefense ä See LSU, page 8C

Tigers overcome catastrophes of their ownmaking, butbetterisrequired

LSUbeat South Carolina 2010 on apicture-perfect Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. Point, meet counterpoint. On one hand, theTigers did alot of the things that everyone wanted to see them do against an underdog but still dangerous Gamecocks squad. Could Garrett Nussmeier, last seen lunging and struggling to throw deep passes two weeks ago at Ole Miss, look healthier throwing theball? According to LSU coach Brian Kelly,Nuss basically spent theweek boxed up like an Amazon package on the Kelly’sfrontporch theweek after the Ole Miss loss, not

throwing the ball other than in somevirtual reality-type lab inside the LSU football palace. He did look good physically Not laboring, not struggling to deliver the ball, completing 20 of 33 for254 yards and two touchdowns. And yet We’ll get to the “and yet” in amoment. Now to the other big question: Could, and would, LSU commit to running the ball? Check marks all around. The Tigers had anearly 50-50 run-pass balance that included 30 runs fora

Scott Rabalais ä See RABALAIS, page 9C

STAFFPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

wide receiver Kyle Parker

Stadium.

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

No. 8 Alabama edges No. 14 Missouri

BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sportswriter

COLUMBIA,Mo.— Ty Simpson threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns, including the clincher on fourth down to Daniel Hill with 3:16 to go, and eighth-ranked Alabama held off No. 14 Missouri 2724 on Saturday to give the Crimson Tide their fifth consecutive win.

Jam Miller added 85 yards rushing before leaving with a concussion in the fourth quarter, and Kevin Riley and Isaiah Horton also had TD catches for Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC), which has won seven straight over Missouri dating to Sept. 8, 1975.

“Nobody flinched,” Simpson said afterward, scanning over the final box score. “We’re going to keep punching.”

Beau Pribula kept punching for the Tigers (5-1, 1-1), too, hitting Donovan Olugbode for a touchdown with 1:39 left. And after the Crimson Tide pounced on the onside kick, Missouri forced a quick punt to get the ball back with 1:17 still on the clock.

Pribula connected with Olugbode again on fourth down to get close to midfield, but he followed with two incompletions. Then on third down, Pribula overshot his target and was picked off by Alabama defensive back Dijon Lee to put the game away. The loss ended the Tigers’ 15game home winning streak, the second-longest nationally.

“We had an opportunity,” Mis-

line for a 26-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Yet the Crimson Tide not only regained their composure, they regained control.

Simpson was nearly perfect on an answering TD drive. And after Missouri went three-and-out, the junior QB drove the Crimson Tide downfield again, zipping a pass to Horton on third-and-long for a 16yard touchdown pass that made it 14-7.

After each team added a field goal before halftime, Missouri took advantage of Simpson’s fumble — his only big mistake on the first play of the second half. Pribula juked his way into the end zone three plays later to tie the game 17-all.

Yet the Tigers were never able to regain the lead.

Tiger Woods undergoes his seventh back surgery

Tiger Woods has gone through a seventh back surgery, this time to replace a disk in his lower back that had caused pain and mobility issues.

Woods said in a social media post he had the surgery in New York and said it was the right decision for his his health.

He did not mention how long it would keep him out of golf, though it was unclear whether he was going to try to play in his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas or the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie. Both tournaments are in December

He hasn’t played since a playoff loss in the PNC Championship last year

souri coach Eli Drinkwitz said.

“Proud of the way our defense fought. Proud of the way our offense fought. Ultimately we just had too many critical mistakes in critical situations.”

Pribula finished with 167 yards passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he also was the Tigers’ most effective runner with 61 yards and another score.

“We did the job. Got the job done,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “Each side of the ball, we covered for each other.”

Missouri got off to a good start, seemingly stunning Alabama on its opening drive It took just six plays to march 78 yards, and Pribula threw a nifty lob to tight end Brett Norfleet down the side-

The nation’s leading rusher, Ahmad Hardy, was held to just 52 yards.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25 ROUNDUP

Conor Talty added a go-ahead field goal later in the third quarter for Alabama, and the Crimson Tide stopped Missouri on fourth down midway through the fourth quarter, shoving Jamal Roberts out of bounds just shy of the marker; replays appeared to show the running back reaching the ball far enough for a first down, but the spot was upheld by the officials.

Alabama took over and, after Simpson converted on fourthand-8 with a throw to freshman Lotzeir Brooks, the SEC’s top passer found Hill in the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the Missouri 2 with just over three minutes remaining to put it out of reach.

No. 7 Indiana topples No. 3 Oregon in tight battle

By The Associated Press

In Eugene, Oregon Fernando Mendoza threw for 215 yards and a key fourth-quarter touchdown and No. 7 Indiana remained undefeated with a 30-20 victory over No. 3 Oregon on Saturday Roman Hemby added a pair of scoring runs for the Hoosiers (60, 3-0 Big Ten), who frustrated the Ducks (5-1, 2-1) with stout defensive play

“Our defense was tremendous in the second half, our kicking game was really good all day and the offense made plays when they had to,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “Mendoza extended plays, made plays with his legs. And the play to Sarratt, obviously, was huge, huge.” Dante Moore threw for 186 yards and a touchdown for Oregon. He had two interceptions and was sacked six times. Both sides were coming off weeks off. In their last game, the Ducks beat Penn State 30-24 in double-overtime on the road in the annual White Out game. The Hoosiers beat Iowa 20-15 on the road

The loss was a learning opportunity, said Oregon coach Dan Lanning.

“We didn’t have a fastball today,” Lanning said. “Everybody wants to look at players and say, ‘Oh this is the reason.’ That was a team effort, right? And that was a team loss, right? And their team played better than us. It wasn’t Dante. It was the whole group, the coaching staff, the players.”

No. 1 OHIO STATE 34, No. 17 ILLINOIS

16: In Champaign, Illinois, Julian Sayin passed for two touchdowns, C.J. Donaldson ran for two more scores, and the Ohio State defense forced three turnovers that resulted in 21 points as the Buckeyes defeated Illinois.

Sayin completed 19 of 27 passes for 166 yards in leading Ohio State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten). Donaldson rushed for 44 yards. Jeremiah Smith had five catches for 42 yards and a TD. No. 4 OLE MISS 24, WASHINGTON STATE 21: In Oxford, Mississippi, Trinidad Chambliss threw for two

touchdowns and ran for another score to lead Ole Miss over Washington State.

Ole Miss (6-0) trailed 14-10 late in the third period before Chambliss scored on a 17-yard touchdown scramble Chambliss threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Cayden Lee to build a 24-14 lead with 6:51 remaining.

PITTSBURGH 34, No. 25 FLORIDA STATE 31: In Tallahassee, Florida, Mason Heintschel threw for 321 yards and connected with Desmond Reid on a pair of touchdown passes as Pittsburgh defeated Florida State.

A true freshman, Heintschel completed 21 of 29 passes and tossed a pair of second-quarter interceptions. But he has surpassed 300 passing yards in both of his starts, building off a rout of Boston College last week with a road upset of the Seminoles.

Reid had eight catches for 155 yards and 10 carries for 38 yards for Pittsburgh (4-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) No. 13 GEORGIA TECH 35,VIRGINIA TECH

20: In Atlanta, Malachi Hosley ran for 129 yards and a touchdown, Haynes King had two scoring runs and Georgia Tech used a strong start to beat short-handed

Virginia Tech

Georgia Tech (6-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won its first six games for the first time

since 2011. The Yellow Jackets scored the game’s first 18 points.

No. 13 NOTRE DAME 36, N.C. STATE 7: In South Bend, Indiana, C.J. Carr passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns, and Notre Dame pulled away from N.C. State in the second half for a victory Carr connected on 19 of 31 passes, including TD tosses of 18 yards to K.K. Smith and 12 yards to Will Pauling in the third quarter

TEXAS 23, No. 6 OKLAHOMA 6: In Dallas, Ryan Niblett returned a punt 75 yards for a decisive touchdown in the fourth quarter and Texas got a much-needed win over Oklahoma in their annual Red River Rivalry game. Arch Manning completed 21 of 27 passes for 166 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on the opening drive of the second half for the Longhorns (4-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference), who were coming off a loss at Florida that knocked the preseason No. 1 team out of the AP Top 25. COLORADO 24,No.22 IOWA STATE 17: In Boulder, Colorado, Kaidon Salter tossed two touchdown passes and Colorado’s defense came up big in the fourth quarter with an interception and a fourth-down stop to help the Buffaloes beat Iowa State. Salter threw for 255 yards, including a 70-yard TD strike to Omarion Miller, as the Buffaloes (3-

4, 1-3 Big 12) snapped a two-game skid. Salter took a knee to close out the game and threw the ball high into the air. The students rushed the field despite warnings from the public address announcer No. 12 TENNESSEE 34, ARKANSAS 31: In Knoxville, Tennessee, DeSean Bishop rushed for a career-high 146 yards and a touchdown to lead Tennessee to a victory over Arkansas in the Razorbacks’ first game since coach Sam Pittman was fired.

The Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) got 221 yards passing and a touchdown from Joey Aguilar Peyton Lewis rushed for two touchdowns. Under interim coach Bobby Petrino, Arkansas (2-4, 0-2) lost three fumbles and Taylen Green was sacked five times. Mike Washington rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown. Tennessee was flagged for 10 penalties for 78 yards. Green threw for 256 yards and two TDs and ran for 63 yards and a score No.5 TEXAS A&M 34, FLORIDA 17: In College Station, Texas, Marcel Reed threw for 234 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score as Texas A&M continued its perfect start with a victory over Florida.

It’s the first 6-0 start for the Aggies since 2016 and they improved to 3-0 in Southeastern Conference play Florida (2-4, 1-2) was unable to build off last week’s 29-21 upset over then-No 9 Texas that snapped a three-game skid as coach Billy Napier fell to 0-14 on the road against ranked opponents.

USC 31, No. 15 MICHIGAN 13: In Los Angeles, Freshman walk-on King Miller rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown, and Jayden Maiava passed for 265 yards and two scores in Southern California’s emphatic victory over Michigan. Makai Lemon made a spectacular 12-yard TD catch right before halftime for the Trojans (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten), who rebounded sharply from their heartbreaking, last-gasp loss at Illinois two weeks ago.

Vacherot beats Djokovic to set up all-cousins final SHANGHAI Two cousins will meet in the final of the Shanghai Masters after qualifier Valentin Vacherot stunned a hobbled Novak Djokovic and relative Arthur Rinderknech fought back to beat Daniil Medvedev on Saturday The 204th-ranked Vacherot earned the biggest win of his career by downing Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked finalist in ATP Masters 1000 history, the ATP said. A couple of hours after beating Djokovic, Vacherot walked back onto the court and hugged Rinderknech to help celebrate his cousin’s 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 comeback win over Medvedev and relish the rare moment. Sunday’s final will be the first time the cousins have played each other on the ATP circuit. Vacherot was an alternate in qualifying but is having a career week.

Gauff knocks off Paolini, to face Pegula in finals

Coco Gauff overcame seven double faults to beat Jasmine Paolini and will meet compatriot Jessica Pegula in the Wuhan Open final after the 31-year-old American ended top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka’s winning streak at the tournament. Gauff defeated Paolini 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday after both top-10 players struggled with their serves.

The third-ranked Gauff fought back from three breaks in the second set, which included her run of five consecutive double faults, and won the final four games to advance to the final.

“I did what I needed to do to get through,” Gauff said.

The 21-year-old Gauff, who changed her serving coach in August, leads the women’s circuit this season with 378 double faults, over 120 more than the next player

MLB disciplines Padres players for ump dispute

San Diego Padres infielder Jose Iglesias was suspended Friday for one game and fined for unprofessional conduct toward the umpires during the final game of the club’s Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs, MLB announced.

Infielder Xander Bogaerts was also fined an undisclosed amount for his conduct during the interaction that followed the final out at Wrigley Field on Oct. 2 when the Padres were eliminated from the postseason by Chicago.

The Padres had a pointed shouting match with the umpiring crew as it left the field after the Cubs’ 3-1 victory

Home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn called a third strike on Bogaerts for the first out in the ninth inning on a pitch that appeared to be below the zone. An infuriated Bogaerts argued with Reyburn.

Lafayette area boy golfer qualifies for Masters trip

A young golfer from the Lafayette area is going to the home of the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia, for a special event. Greer Rowell of Broussard was one of 80 regional winners to qualify for the 2026 Drive, Chip and Putt competition. The event will be held April 5 at Augusta National Golf Club, the day before the start of Masters week. Rory McIlroy is the reigning champion after completing the career Grand Slam this year Rowell qualified in the boys 7-9 age group, the youngest allowed to compete He won his age group Oct. 5 at a regional at PGA Frisco outside Dallas. Forty girls and 40 boys ages 7-15 will take part in the event which began in 2013.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By L.G. PATTERSON Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson throws a pass over Missouri cornerback Toriano Pride during a game on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LyDIA ELy

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza slides with the ball during the first half against Oregon on Saturday in Eugene, Ore.

THE VARSITY ZONE

Wright’s 7 TDs lift Country Day over Cohen

Brewer, McAllister catch 2 touchdown passes each

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Another week, another seventouchdown passing game. Country Day quarterback Hudson Wright hit that number for the second week in a row as the Cajuns outlasted Cohen 57-22 in a game that had four lead changes in the third quarter Saturday at Pan American Stadium.

Wright found Kellen Brewer for a short touchdown pass late in the third quarter for the final lead change, and Country Day poured it on from there with four touchdowns in the final period

“We had to go in the locker room and regroup, and kind of switch our mindset,” Hudson said about the sluggish first half that included two turnovers on downs, one fumble in the red zone and multiple pre-snap penalties “We were really slow in the first half, honestly A lot of yelling in there, a lot of letting us know what we can do better.” Brewer and Curtis McAllister each caught two touchdown passes as Country Day (4-2, 1-0 District 10-2A) ran its winning streak to three games. Wright, a third-year starter at quarterback, threw for 421 yards as he completed 24 of 34 passes. The senior threw seven touch-

downs for the second week in a row and has 24 scoring passes in the four games since he returned from a concussion that caused him to miss the first two games.

McAllister had eight receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns the first one coming on a 40yard catch-and-run on the opening drive.

Running back Justin Drago also got active in the passing game with four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown to go along with his 10 carries for 43 yards. The other two touchdown passes went to brothers Colin and Preston Snyder

Peyton Katz had three takeaways on defense with two fumble recoveries — including one returned for a touchdown and one interception, plus an onside kick recovery between Country Day touchdowns in the fourth quarter Herm Dyson also picked off a pass in the first quarter

Country Day scored touchdowns the first five times it had the ball in the second half, looking more like the high-scoring offense that averaged better than 56 points over the three previous games.

Country Day coach Ben Powell said the team did not change much between halves.

“It was just, ‘Settle down, let’s get (the Cohen quarterback) under control, let’s do what we practiced

all week, let’s stick with the game plan,’” Powell said. For Cohen (1-4, 0-1), quarterback Geremy Lewis accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing,

one passing), including the 14-yard scoring pass to Darryl Evans that put their team ahead 22-21 in the third quarter Lewis ran for 121 yards, includ-

Hamlin’s controversial comment sparks scrutiny by

BY JENNA FRYER Associated Press

LAS VEGAS The first thing Denny Hamlin said when he climbed from his car after advancing into the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs was he wished he had known not to pass Ross Chastain on the final lap. In racing Chastain for that position, it knocked Chastain out of the playoffs and gave the final spot in the round of eight to Joey Logano, the reigning Cup Series champion and winner of two of the past three titles. In fact, Logano and Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney have combined to win the past three consecutive championships, so Hamlin was fiercely criticized for not taking Logano out of contention. The third round begins Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with eight drivers remaining and all representing the top teams in NASCAR: Hamlin leads Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher

Bell and Chase Briscoe into the round, while Penske has Logano and Blaney and Hendrick Motorsports is represented by Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and William Byron. The field comprises three drivers each from Chevrolet and Toyota and two from Ford. Hamlin, Briscoe and Bell swept the first three spots Saturday in qualifying, and Hamlin will lead the field to green in pursuit of his 60th career win and a slot in the title-deciding finale at Phoenix. There’s controversy surrounding the Hamlin and Chastain incident last Sunday in part because a year ago Logano was initially eliminated from the playoffs at Charlotte. He learned later that night he was back in the field when Bowman’s car failed inspection, then Logano won Las Vegas a week later to lock up a spot in the championship-deciding finale.

“Denny would have to ask himself, ‘What’s going to give me the best chance to win the championship?’ if that’s your number one goal. If that’s your main goal to do that, ‘What gives me the best chances to win the whole thing?’” Logano said. “Is one competitor tougher than the other? I don’t know I don’t know if you want to race against either one of us. Ross has proven to do whatever it takes to get to the next round or to win. He’s done that multiple times. Do you want to race against him? I don’t know “Do you want to race against us? I don’t think so, either You’re probably in a no-win situation, so you might as well just pass him and go and get a better spot.” The entire situation is also being scrutinized by NASCAR, which said this week it would be carefully monitoring potentials of

PHOTO By BOBBy GILBOy

Connor Konopka scores on a 16-yard catch for Mandeville on Friday in a 26-9 win over Covington

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Country Day quarterback Hudson Wright, center, has thrown seven touchdown passes in a game two weeks in a row.

Talk” podcast that series officials would

Gibbs Racing telling Hamlin

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By COLIN E. BRALEy Denny Hamlin, left, has been criticized by some for saying he wished he had known not to pass Ross Chastain on the final lap last week.

Chiefs, Lions clash at night

The Detroit Lions are going for their fifth straight win when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. Kansas City is coming off a last-minute loss to the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Monday night. The Lions and Chiefs have played infrequently over the years with Kansas City holding a 9-6 all-time advantage but Detroit won the last meeting in 2023 The Lions are led by running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, while the Kansas City pass offense has started to hit its stride recently. Patrick Mahomes threw for 318 yards in the loss to the Jaguars.

Seahawks travel to Jaguars

Rams avoid Ravens QB Jackson

2 1 3

The Seattle Seahawks will try to start 4-2 for the second time in three years when they play at Jacksonville The Jaguars are looking to get to 5-1 for the first time since 1999 and the fourth time in franchise history Seattle is traveling to the East Coast for a noon Central start but the Seahawks are 21-6 in such games over the last decade Seahawks veteran wideout Cooper Kupp was targeted a seasonhigh nine times Sunday and caught his second-most passes of the season. Jacksonville RB Travis Etienne has rushed for 443 yards this season, good for fourth in the NFL.

Winless Jets to tackle Broncos

The Denver Broncos face the New york Jets in London on Sunday. The Broncos have a 3-2 record while the Jets are still seeking their first win at 0-5 Denver edge rusher Nik Bonitto is a player to watch tied for the NFL lead with seven sacks this season Jets rookie tight end Mason Taylor a former LSU player is emerging as a key player in their passing game It’s New york’s fourth 0-5 start and first since starting 0-13 in 2020 under Adam Gase A loss would give the Jets their third 0-6 start, joining the 2020 and 1996 squads. before being traded to Houston in April 2024.

The Rams are 1-4 against the Ravens in Baltimore Their lone win was 2019 on a last-minute touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Odell Beckham Jr on Jan 2, 2022. Lamar Jackson did not play in that game for the Ravens and he won’t this week, either Jackson missed last weekend’s game with a hamstring injury and did not practice this week Since rushing for 169 yards in the season opener, Derrick Henry hasn’t surpassed 50 in any game since The Ravens have run up against some tough defenses, and Jackson’s absence last week didn’t help

Cowboys own Panthers in Carolina For the third straight year, the Dallas Cowboys will travel to play the Carolina Panthers That has not historically been a good thing for the host Panthers. The Cowboys have won 12 of 15 regular-season matchups including the last two The Cowboys are 7-1 against Carolina on the road in the regular season There have been more Cowboys fans in the stands than Panthers fans in the last two meetings Carolina fans will be quick to point out that it’s a different story in the postseason The Panthers are 2-0 against Dallas at home with wins in the 1996 and 2003 seasons. 5 4

GAME OF THE WEEK

Injuries not slowing Bucs, Niners

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

TAMPA, Fla. — The San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are winning despite a slew of injuries to key players It sets up well for both teams down the road.

First, they face off Sunday in Tampa Bay A pair of 4-1 teams leading their divisions meet in one of just two matchups in Week 6 featuring winning teams. Playoff preview? Maybe. Getting healthy and staying in first place is the immediate priority

“If you can stack wins early and get your star players back later, that helps you solidify the second half of the season, get on the same page and hopefully get on a roll,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said.

“With guys getting experience and playing early and us winning in the process — it can’t do (anything) but help us.” The 49ers are expected to start Mac Jones for the fourth time with Brock Purdy ruled out because of a toe injury Jones is 3-0 and playing more like the guy New England expected when he was drafted in the first round in 2021. Jones has shown he possibly could be the next Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold — former firstround picks who bounced around the league before becoming franchise quarterbacks on other teams

“I love finding ways to win games that you can easily lose,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I don’t really look into the road or away or when you do it. It really doesn’t matter I’ve been 5-0 and not made

the playoffs I’ve been 0-4 and have made the playoffs. So, you don’t look into really any of that stuff. It just all matters what your record is when you add up to 17, not the order of how you do it.”

Mayfield is thriving in Tampa Bay and playing at an MVP level. The Buccaneers have won four games on scores in the final minute with Mayfield leading the way

“I love what he’s doing right now I love the way he’s playing. I love the space he’s in, mentally and physically getting it done,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said of Mayfield. “The mastery of the offense in his second year has really done a lot. Them understanding and communicating what he likes and doesn’t like, and him throwing to the open guys and making everybody better has really helped. I’m very proud of that.”

Falcons WR Mooney ruled out for Monday

Wide receiver Darnell

Mooney has been ruled out for the Atlanta Falcons’ home game against Buffalo on Monday night because of a hamstring injury Mooney a former Tulane standout, suffered the injury in Atlanta’s 34-27 win over Washington on Sept. 27, and a bye week did not provide enough recovery time for the deep threat to return. His hamstring injury will open an opportunity for Casey Washington, KhaDarel Hodge and others to join Drake London and Ray-Ray McCloud as the primary targets at wide receiver

Bills rule out three players vs. Falcons

Safety Damar Hamlin and rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders won’t play against Atlanta, Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott said Saturday, adding that both will be placed on injured reserve. McDermott also ruled out starting linebacker Matt Milano from playing against the Falcons on Monday night. Hamlin suffered a pectoral injury in practice this week. Sanders will have surgery to repair a knee injury that led to the second-round draft pick not playing in a 2320 loss to New England last weekend.

QB Sanders elevated to backup for Browns

Shedeur Sanders has waited patiently for his chance to play for Cleveland. He’s real close. Sanders will back up Dillon Gabriel on Sunday in Pittsburgh, meaning the Browns — who haven’t won a regular-season game on their rival’s home field since 2003 — will face the Steelers with two rookie quarterbacks.

Sanders has been Cleveland’s No. 3 emergency quarterback — and inactive on game days — for his first five games as the Browns slowly developed him. Now he’s No. 2 after the Browns traded Joe Flacco this week.

Cowboys receiver Lamb, four others out Sunday The Dallas Cowboys have ruled out wide receiver CeeDee Lamb for a third con-

sprain) and linebacker Jack Sanborn (concussion). Running back Miles Sanders also will be going on the seasonending injured reserve list, according to team executive vice president Stephen Jones. Sanders had been dealing with knee and ankle injuries.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PAUL SANCyA

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown scores a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during a game on Sept. 28 in Detroit.

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, left, and receiver Darnell Mooney celebrate a touchdown against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 25 in Atlanta.

AP PHOTO By BRyNNANDERSON

Polancodelivers game-winning single in 15th

BY LUKE OLSON Associated Press

SEATTLE Jorge Polancohit a game-ending single in the 15th inning, and the Seattle Mariners advanced to the American League Championship Series by outlasting the Detroit Tigers for a3-2 victory Friday night in the longest winnertake-all postseasongameinbaseball history With one out and the bases loaded, Polanco drove inJ.P Crawford with aliner to right on afull-countchangeupfrom Tommy Kahnle. Crawford held his arms in the air as he touched home plate while the Mariners poured out of the dugout to celebrate in front of afrenzied crowd of 47,025.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

JorgePolanco reactsafter hitting the game-winning single forSeattle in the 15thinning in Game 5ofthe American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers on FridayinSeattle.

Crawford hit aleadoffsingle, Randy Arozarena was hitbya pitch and Julio Rodríguezwas intentionallywalked beforePolan-

co’sbig swing on the472ndpitch of an epicGame 5thatclocked in

at 4hours,58minutes.

It was the third one-run game— allwith a3-2 score— in atightly contested AL Division Series.

“I know we played along game, but this teamnever gave up,” Polanco said. “I know there is alot of emotion, but we are always trying to keep it simple. I’mjust trying to go out there and play and trying to get thewin.”

The Mariners left 12 runners on base and still managed to advance to theALCS forthe first time since 2001.Next up is amatchup with the AL East champion Blue Jays, beginning on Sundaynight at Toronto.

“Just an incredible ballgame from top to bottom,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

Luis Castillo pitched 11/3 innings for the win in his first major league relief appearance. LoganGilbert, another member of the Seattle rotation, worked two scoreless innings in his first reliefoutingsincehis college days at Stetson in 2017.

“It was sucha tough night,”

SCOREBOARD

Umpires_Home, Chris Conroy;First, Ryan Blakney; Second, Edwin Moscoso; Third, MikeEstabrook; Right, Lance Barksdale; Left, Will Little. T_2:36. A_42,743 (41,700)

Golf

Baycurrent Classic Saturday At Yokohama CountryClub Kanagawa,Japan Purse: $8 million Yardage: 7,315; Par: 71 ThirdRound Max Greyserman 67-63-71—201 -12 Xander Schauffele 71-63-67—201 -12 Byeong Hun An 69-69-66—204

Lee73-65-67—205 -8 Sahith Theegala 68-67-70—205 -8 Beau Hossler69-68-69—206 -7 Alex Smalley69-65-72—206 -7 MattWallace 74-66-66—206 -7

Rasmus Hojgaard72-68-68—208 -5

Sungjae Im 71-70-67—208 -5

Takumi Kanaya 68-70-70—208 -5 Mac Meissner73-68-67—208 -5

2 2 10 01 4

W,1-0 1 3 00 00 1 Kirbypitched to 1batter in the 6th, Brash pitched to 2batters in the 8th, Gilbert pitched to 2batters in the 12th. HBP_Kirby(Keith), Vest (Arozarena), K.Montero(Robles), Kahnle(Arozarena). Umpires_Home, Alan Porter; First,Nate Tomlinson;Second, Alex Tosi; Third,Jeremie Rehak; Right, ChrisGuccione; Left, John Tumpane. T_4:58. A_47,025 (47,929). Milwaukee3,Chicago Cubs1

Chicago Milwaukee ab rh bi ab rh bi Busch 1b 30 10 Chourio lf 30 00

Hoerner2b3 01 0Turang 2b 41 11

Tucker dh 40 00 Contreras c4 11 1 Suzuki rf 41 11 Yelich dh 40 00

Happ lf 40 00 Vaughn 1b 41 11

Kelly c4 010 Frelick rf 30 10

Crw-Armstrng cf 30 00Durbin 3b 20 20

Swanson ss 30 00 Perkins cf 20 00

Shaw3b2 00 0Ortizss3 000

Ballesterosph1 00 0 Castro3b0 000 Totals311 41 Totals 29 36 3 Chicago 010 000 000 —1

Milwaukee100 100 10x —3

E_Swanson (2), Crow-Armstrong (1) DP_Chicago 2, Milwaukee 0. LOB_Chicago 5, Milwaukee 6. HR_Suzuki (2), Contreras (2), Vaughn (2), Turang (1).SB_Durbin (1)

Frelick (1). IP HR ER BB SO

Chicago

Pomeranz 11 11 01

ReaL,0-1 22/3 41 11 2

Palencia 11/3 00 01 0 Thielbar 2/3 00 01 1 Kittredge 11/3 11 11 0 Keller 10 00 00

Milwaukee Megill 10 00 01

Misiorowski W,2-0 43 11 03

Ashby H,1 1/3 10 00 1

PatrickH,1 12/3 00 00 3

Uribe S,1-1 20 00 10

HBP_Ashby (Hoerner).

Hojgaard68-70-72—210 -3 Keith Mitchell 75-62-73—210 -3

Sam Ryder68-71-71—210 -3 Adam Scott

68-72-70—210 -3

KevinYu69-68-73—210 -3 Kota Kaneko71-69-71—211 -2 Collin Morikawa71-68-72—211 -2

Sam Stevens

Chris Gotterup

William Mouw

Matti Schmid

Bud Cauley

Emiliano Grillo

Max Homa

Wyndham Clark

Matthew McCarty

Keita Nakajima

Kaito Onishi

Andrew Putnam

73-69-69—211 -2

74-66-72—212 -1

68-69-75—212 -1

75-69-68—212 -1

67-73-73—213 E

74-68-71—213 E

73-70-71—214 +1

75-65-74—214 +1

73-67-74—214 +1

70-72-72—214 +1

73-70-71—214 +1

Isaiah Salinda 73-71-70—214 +1

PatrickFishburn 70-70-75—215 +2

77-66-72—215 +2

Billy Horschel

MarkHubbard73-68-74—215 +2

70-73-72—215 +2

Kurt Kitayama

Karl Vilips 73-70-72—215 +2

Eric Cole 73-73-70—216 +3

JoelDahmen 71-72-73—216 +3

Mikumu Horikawa73-69-74—216 +3

Taiga Semikawa71-68-77—216 +3

Austin Eckroat 73-70-74—217 +4

Michael Kim 72-70-75—217 +4

DavidLipsky73-72-72—217 +4

Taylor Moore75-68-74—217 +4

72-69-76—217 +4

Vince Whaley

Joe Highsmith 76-70-72—218 +5

72-71-75—218 +5

Takanori Konishi

Tatsunori Shogenji 76-71-71—218 +5

TomKim

Taiga Kobayashi

PatrickRodgers

RikiKawamoto

75-72-72—219 +6

72-73-74—219 +6

77-70-72—219 +6

76-69-75—220 +7

Satoshi Kodaira73-72-75—220 +7

Gary Woodland

RyoHisatsune

77-73-71—221 +8

78-71-73—222 +9

RyoIshikawa74-73-75—222 +9

73-77-74—224 +11

College football Friday’s games EAST Army24, Charlotte 7 CCSU 24, Robert Morris 12 Clemson 41, Boston College 10 Dartmouth 17, Yale 16 Delaware St. 70, S. Connecticut23 Duquesne 52, St. Francis (Pa.) 7 Lafayette 62, Bucknell 24 Lehigh 31, Columbia 7 Maine 20, Merrimack13 Marshall 48, Old Dominion 24 Mercer 38, Princeton14 Mercyhurst 19, Wagner7 Monmouth (NJ) 42, Towson 31 Morgan St. 44, Va.Lynchburg6 Navy 32, Temple 31 Nebraska34, Maryland 31 New Haven69, W. Connecticut0 Northwestern 22, Penn St. 21 Rhode Island 38, NewHampshire27 Richmond 24, Colgate 19 Sacred Heart 32, Howard 14 SOUTH Abilene Christian 30, West Georgia13 Alabama A&M 45, MVSU 25 Alcorn St. 42, Lincoln (CA) Oaklanders 0 Appalachian St.41, GeorgiaSt. 20 Bethune-Cookman45, Southern U. 14 Campbell 38, Hampton 21 Cent. Arkansas 49, North Alabama 21 Coastal Carolina23, Louisiana-Monroe 8 E. Kentucky 34, Austin Peay 20 ETSU 45, VMI10 FAU53, UAB33 Georgia Tech 35, VirginiaTech 20 IllinoisSt. 46, Murray St. 32 Jackson St. 38, Alabama St. 34 James Madison24, Louisiana-Lafayette 14 LSU 20, SouthCarolina10 Mississippi 24, Washington St. 21 NC Central 45, Florida A&M 7 Pittsburgh 34, Florida St. 31 SC State 22, NC A&T 16 St. Thomas (Minn.) 57, Davidson13 Stetson 21, Morehead St. 14 Tennessee 34, Arkansas 31 Tennessee Tech 27, Charleston Southern 13 TexasSouthern 21, GramblingSt. 20 The Citadel 38, Valdosta St. 14 UT Martin32, W. Illinois31 Villanova 29, Elon21 W. Carolina 52, Furman 7

Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh said.

“Everyone put their other stuff aside and did everything for the team, including Logan and Luis.” Detroit wasted astellar performance by Tarik Skubal, who struck out 13 while pitching six innings of one-run ball. The Tigers went 1for 9with runners in scoring positionand left 10 on base.

“Wehad an incredible game today that, unfortunately, somebody hadtolose, andthatsomebody was us, and it hurts,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said.

Kerry Carpenter put Detroit in front whenhehit atwo-run homer off Gabe Speier in the sixth inning. Carpenter had four hitsand walked twice, becoming the first player to reach five times and hit ahome run in awinnertake-all postseason gamesince BabeRuthin1926, according to STATS. The Marinerstied it at 2-2 on LeoRivas’ pinch-hit single off Tyler Holton in theseventh. Rivas celebrated his 28th birthday with his first postseason hit.

Chevrolet,182.519. 14. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford,182.482. 15. (1)RossChastain, Chevrolet, 182.469. 16. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford,182.272. 17. (99) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, 182.156. 18. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet 182.143. 19. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 181.947. 20. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 181.879. 21. (41) Cole Custer, Ford,181.861. 22. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 181.800. 23. (38) Zane Smith, Ford,181.696. 24. (47) Ricky StenhouseJr, Chevrolet,181.421. 25. (3)AustinDillon, Chevrolet, 181.336. 26. (42) John H. Nemechek,Toyota, 180.953. 27. (7)JustinHaley,Chevrolet,180.929. 28. (4)Noah Gragson, Ford,180.832. 29. (21) Josh Berry,Ford, 180.548. 30. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford,179.868. 31. (2)AustinCindric, Ford,179.468. 32. (8)Kyle Busch,Chevrolet,

Naoto Nakanishi

Sami Valimaki72-76-76—224 +11

DannyWalker

80-69-75—224 +11

DavisRiley75-79-71—225 +12

Banks’ under-the-radar play what Saints ordered

games andhas allowed just one sack in 199pass-rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Banks is coming off his best game of the season. Going against elite Giants edge rushers Abdul Carter and Brian Burns, he allowed zero sacks and just onepressure in 32 pass-rush snaps.It wasthe kind of performance the Saints were hoping they’d get from Banks when they selected him withthe No. 9overall pick in the 2025 draft

“He’sjust steady,” Saintscoach Kellen Moore said. “He’squiet,and he does his work. He’svery detailed in what he does.

Ijust thought he had sometremendous sets in pass-rush situations in this past game. It was just really clean.”

For what it’sworth, Banks’ block-

of thetop edgerushers in the league, including Carter, Burns, Nick Bosa and Joey Bosa. For the most part, he’sbeen left on an island to block them.Banks hashad one-on-one blocking assignments 72%ofthe time, more than any tackle in theleague so far,according to PFF

“He has some things you can’tcoach, and he plays to his strengths really well,” veteran guard CesarRuizsaid of the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Banks. “I just love watching him excel right now.”

Banks said he is looking forward to seeing fellowrookie left tackle Campbell this weekendwhenthe Saints entertain the Patriots. Campbell, the former LSU All-American,and Banks traveled similar paths to the NFL.Both were rankedamong the top tackle prospects

tackle

sive) to see as arookie. He and Taliese Fuaga are very impressive as ayoung tackle tandem.”

Some fans criticized the Saints for taking Banks so highly in the draft. Despite winning the Outland and Lombardi trophies as the top offensive lineman in college football, he lacked name recognition for many casual fans. After seeing the Saints select offensive

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByTyLER KAUFMAN

Saints offensivetackle Kelvin Banks,right, blocks Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome.

Jeff Duncan

Continued from page1C

22-year-old rookie. When starterJulian Blackmon went down with aseason-ending shoulder injury after Week 1, New Orleansturnedtothe hard-hitting Sanker.And ahead of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, no one —atleast on the defense —has exceeded expectations more than Sanker.

The Saints aren’tjust asking Sanker to make thekindofthudding blows thatwowed Staley all those months ago. They’ve tasked the Virginia producttobethe last line ofdefense, a ball-hawking,back-end safety whocan readand react to what opposing offenses are doing.

He hasbecome so important to thedefense that coaches no longeruse Sankeronspecial teams —anaspect of Sanker’scollegetape that Staley also found “unbelievable.”

His ascension is areminder that good players can come from anywhere,Staley said. Even if they have to play eight-man football first.

“Probably in the recruiting process, (eightman football) might hurt you,” Saints defensive pass-game coordinator Terry Josephsaid, “but in the long run, it probably helps youout.”

Areasontostay

When he coached Sanker at Covenant, Seth Wilson insists opposing coaches would go to the referees at halftime of lopsided games and threaten to have their teams walk out if Covenant didn’tsit Sanker and his brother Nic for the rest of the game.

Wilsonsaid he offeredacompromise.

“I’m like, ‘All right, I’m going to take them off offense,but I’m goingtoput them on defense, and you guys are notgoingtoget anotheryard for the rest of the game,’ ”Wilson said.

In high school,Sanker primarily played quarterback and linebacker.Hewas agifted athlete, someone who could jump over an oncoming tackler or sprint downhill to crushanoncoming ball carrier.Sanker’srecruiting finally pickedupafter his junior season, whichproved to be fortunatesince the pandemiccanceled his senior season.

home.Not when his younger siblings and mother needed him.

“Jonas was here, and he was just like, ‘I will be that guy,’ ”Wilson said. “‘I will be that person with car ridesinthe morning to school.I will help getthemtopractice. I’ll help do all that. I will comehelp take care of dad.’”

Wasthat alot to place on akid’sshoulders?

“Yeah, but he was built for it,”Wilson said.

“The whole family is.”

‘The Messiah’

Curome Coxliked to teaseSankerwhenhe coached him at Virginia.

The safety often would shower his coaches with feedback and ask for certain changes. So Cox, the defensive backs coach and defensive pass-game coordinator,coined anickname for Sanker.

“Weused to joke around and call him ‘The Messiah,’ just because in Jonas’ mind— rightfully so —hewas thechosen one tocome and save UVAfootball,” Cox said.

There was a“glow” that Sankerhad in meetings, and Coxsaid he alwaystoldSankerhe needed to takethat energy onto the field and dominate.

The messagetook hold in Sanker’s final season. In an upset over No. 23 Pittsburgh, Sanker wrecked thegame with an interception and field goal block off the edge. He routinely pinned Pittsburghinchallenging field position as agunner in punt coverage.

“That was thegrowth andthe joke of The Messiah really coming to fruition,” Cox said.

TEAM STATS DEFENSIVELEADERS

Forme, it’slike, I’m able to have alittle bit of success,but at thesame time, I’m also able to see, ‘Wow,I have so muchmore to grow.’ ... Ihaveso manythings that Iwant to work on and

He enjoyed astandoutjunior campaign that included one of his hits landing on USA Today’s tophigh school plays of the week. On that play,Sanker’ssudden impact lifted his opponent off of his feet and flat ontohis back.

JONAS SANKER

“I enjoy tackling,” Sanker said. “I enjoy those bigmoments. That’sjust how I’ve alwaysbeen.” Joseph has atheory.With the extra spacing eight-man footballprovides, Sanker got achance to hone his tacklingbyhaving the runway to hit a higher rate of speed. It also helped him become comfortablecoveringinthe open field —even though Sanker didn’tplaysafetythen. Sanker did not intentionallyplay eight-man football. Covenant was forced to downsize its programduring Sanker’ssophomore andjunior years because the school didn’thaveenough students willing to field awhole football team. The switch was “the only way to savethe sport at our school,” Wilson said. At times, Wilson wonderedwhether Sanker wouldhavebeen betteroff transferring to a Washington, D.C., powerhouse suchasGonzaga. He even broached thetopic with Sanker’sfather His father,George, was the headmasterat Covenant. As one of seven children,Jonas didn’t want to leave his other siblings. It was apreviewofwhat was tocome. When he finally received interest from colleges, Sanker initially committedtoBoston College. He flipped his recruitment to Virginia after his father was diagnosedwith early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Sanker didn’t— more like wouldn’t —leave

At Virginia, theCavaliers expanded Sanker’s game. As well as he tackledinhighschool,the Virginia coaches refined his technique further in hopes of keeping apattern of shoulder injuries from bothering him.

They also madehim asafety Boston College recruited Sanker as alinebacker,and the22-yearold said he had otheroffers to play quarterback,running back and cornerback.

“I don’tthink Iwould have been an NFL player” if not for theposition change, Sanker said. “Safety is the right fit for me.”

It’salso the right fitfor the Saints. Through the first month of theseason,Sankerhas had severalbig moments. Against the Buffalo Bills, he came flying in to pickoff MVPquarterback Josh Allen. Aweek later against theNew York Giants, Sanker recovered afumble that Demario Davis forced.

The rookiealso is making less noticeable plays. The Giants,for instance, tested Sanker with adeep shot near the sideline, but he held hisown in coverage by noticing theway the receiver was looking for the ball.

Even on that sequence, Sanker sees ways to improve. If he hadn’tbeen stuck as close to the wideout, he said, he could have had achance to intercept the pass.

“For me, it’slike, I’m able to have alittle bit of success, but at the sametime, I’m also able to see, ‘Wow,Ihavesomuchmoretogrow, Sankersaid. “I have so manythings thatI want to work on and continue to get better at

“It is encouraging to see theceiling Ihave but I’m really ready togrow and get better.”

His coaches would agree with that assessment.IfBlackmon was a“10 out of 10” as arunning mate across from starterJustin Reid, Joseph estimates Sanker is an “8.5”when it comes to complementing theveteran. The coaching staff loved the way Reid could wreak havocin thebox while trusting Blackmon to play deep. But the Saints areencouraged by the progress Sanker already has made.

“For us, it was ano-brainer when he was still on theboard at our pick,” Joseph said.

Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate.com

STAFF PREDICTIONS

JEFF DUNCAN

SAINTS 24,PATRIOTS23: TheSaints catchthe Patriots at theright time —in thewakeofanemotional Sunday night upsetovera division rival. Nowthe Patriots travel to play an unheralded andunfamiliar opponent.The Saints won’tget five takeawaysinthisone,but they won’tneedthem.

LUKE JOHNSON

PATRIOTS 26,SAINTS20: Thereare some compellingreasons to pick the Saints forthe second straightweek, butultimatelythisone feelslikeit will come down to quarterbackplay. NewEngland QB DrakeMayeisone of theNFL’s bright youngstars,and that should be thedifferenceinthis game

MATTHEWPARAS

PATRIOTS 28,SAINTS21: ThePatriots have said allthe rightthingsabout taking theSaintsseriously this week, andIdon’t expect them to have a letdownevenafter theirhugewin over theBuffalo Bills. ButI likethe Saints to hang around in this onebeforeDrake Maye proves to be toomuch.

RODWALKER

PATRIOTS 20,SAINTS17: I’ve changedmymineonthisone since theseasonbegan.There is achance thePatriotswill be

STAFF FILEPHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Saints safety JonasSanker tackles SanFrancisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffreyduring the first half of agame on Sept.14at the

LSU 20, SOUTH CAROLINA 10

BOX SCORE

Kelly notches his 200th FBS win

Staff report

LSU’s win over South Carolina doubled as Brian Kelly’s 200th career victory as an FBS coach.

Now, including Kelly, only 20 FBS coaches have led their teams to that many wins. Just two of those coaches are active: Kelly and longtime Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who guided the Hawkeyes to victory No 208 of his 27-year tenure on Saturday night against Wisconsin.

Kelly’s FBS win total does include the 21 victories the NCAA vacated over academic violations found at Notre Dame in 2012 and 2013. It does not include, however the wins that Kelly picked up during his tenure at Division II Grand Valley State. From 1991-2003, he led that program to a 118-35-2 record and a pair of national titles.

Overall, Kelly is now 200-74 across his FBS coaching career

He won 19 games in three seasons at Central Michigan, 34 in three full years at Cincinnati, 113 in 12 seasons with the Fighting Irish and 34 in three-plus years at LSU.

The Tigers have so far won at least nine games in each season of Kelly’s tenure, including all three bowl games they’ve played in. But they’ve yet to reach the College Football Playoff. Win No. 200 for Kelly preserved LSU’s chances of achieving that goal this year

Another empty opening

LSU continued an unfortunate trend of starting slow

The Tigers went three-andout on their opening possession against South Carolina, meaning they’ve come up empty the first time they’ve had the ball in all six games this season.

In fact, the problem is actually getting worse. This was the fourth straight game LSU opened with a three-and-out, and they’ve totaled just 20 yards on 12 plays on the opening possession in those games.

The Tigers’ best opening salvo came against Clemson, when they drove 36 yards (24 on Caden Durham’s first-play run) and reached the opposing 39-yard line before punting.

They achieved one first down against Louisiana Tech the next week, but Garrett Nussmeier threw an interception on the following play

LSU

Continued from page 1C

The defense also earned a crucial turnover on downs with 5:43 left in the fourth quarter when senior cornerback Mansoor Delane forced an incompletion on fourth down, handing the ball back to the Tigers with a seven-point lead

The defense’s performance was a continuation of what’s been an exceptional first half of the season for the unit. Its offense, however, continued its recent poor form, despite some improvements in a few key areas

LSU ran for a season-high 166 yards. Nussmeier drove the ball with more force downfield Sophomore Trey’Dez Green had a career-best night with eight catches for 119 yards and a touchdown But it was big mistakes that prevented the Tigers from earning a more convincing victory, and no error cost them more than Nussmeier’s second interception of the night.

LSU had marched to the South Carolina 10 with 1:33 left in the third quarter. The Tigers led 1710 after their previous drive, and sophomore running back Ju’Juan Johnson’s 56-yard carry had placed the offense in prime position to take a two-score lead

But for the second time Saturday, LSU turned the ball over inside South Carolina’s 10. Nussmeier on a run-pass option, kept the ball and attempted a pass to Green that was intercepted by safety Peyton Williams at the goal line. But the second half for the LSU offense was still better than the first. The Tigers gained 229 second-half yards and salted the game away with a 10-play, 64-yard drive that resulted in a 22-yard field goal from fifth-year senior Damian Ramos. Nussmeier completed three throws that went for at least 11

Opening drives against Florida, Southeastern and Ole Miss were all three-and-outs.

The last time the Tigers actually scored on their opening possession was in the Texas Bowl against Baylor to end last season. Nussmeier completed a 10yard touchdown pass to Trey’Dez Green to cap a 12-play, 68-yard TD drive right after the opening kickoff.

Anderson update

LSU leading receiver Aaron Anderson announced before the game on Instagram that he wouldn’t play against the Gamecocks.

“Thank you everyone who told me good luck today,” Anderson posted, “but (I) will not be playing today.”

Anderson was listed as questionable on Friday’s availability report. Kelly has said that the redshirt junior, who exited LSU’s Sept. 27 loss to Ole Miss with an elbow strain, is also battling toe and knee injuries. On Thursday,

Kelly said Anderson was “day to day.” Anderson, who has 23 catches for 305 yards this season, was in uniform for pregame warmups but was in street clothes for kickoff.

Butler leaves game

Defensive end Jimari Butler left the game in the first half with what the LSU radio broadcast called an ankle injury and did not return.

The Tigers are already without Gabriel Reliford at the position after he tore his rotator cuff Sept. 20 against Southeastern.

Another defensive end, Patrick Payton, also briefly entered the injury tent in the first half, but he returned to the game.

Moreau honored For three standout seasons, he donned the purple and gold.

For half a century afterward, he was among those telling LSU fans what happened every Saturday night on the Tiger Stadium turf.

Saturday

yards on the final drive, including a 24-yard reception for Green that placed LSU at the South Carolina 1. The Tigers had a chance to put the game even further out of reach, but Nussmeier fumbled the ball on a second-down quarterback sneak at the 3-yard line and sophomore running back Caden Durham lost 2 yards on the next play to force the field goal that stretched the lead to 10. LSU also constructed a crucial

touchdown drive on its opening possession of the third quarter After South Carolina tied the score at 10-10 with a 47-yard field goal to open the second half, LSU

a 17-10 advantage with 6:38 left in the third quarter LSU took the first lead of the night thanks to its defense South Carolina fumbled its first snap from scrimmage, and fifth-year senior edge rusher Patrick Payton recovered the loose ball at the Gamecocks’ 17-yard line. The Tigers went three-and-out after the turnover, but Ramos hit a 28-yard field goal to hand them a 3-0 lead.

This week, Doug Moreau took to the field again as LSU honored its former All-American and longtime broadcaster during the first quarter Saturday Athletic director Scott Woodward and other LSU officials presented Moreau with a framed replica of his No. 80 jersey with his wife, Elaine, and other family members standing alongside him. Moreau played tight end and kicker from 1962-65, then spent 52 years as part of the LSU football radio and TV broadcasts, a run that ended last season. After his LSU playing career, Moreau played for the Miami Dolphins from 1966-69 and was a Baton Rouge judge and district attorney from 1978-2009 But he is best known as an analyst for the LSU radio network and TigerVision, the school’s former in-house pay-per-view network. Jacob Hester replaced Moreau as radio color analyst last season on a temporary basis and full-time starting this season.

Despite the early advantage, LSU gained just 12 yards on its opening two drives. Slow starts on offense have been the norm for the Tigers this year as they’ve yet to score on an opening drive.

LSU eventually picked up its initial first down on its next drive, marching 71 yards to the South Carolina goal line before Johnson fumbled the ball away on the 13th play of the drive at the 1.

The turnover proved to be an extremely costly one. Three plays later, South Carolina capitalized with a 72-yard touchdown run from running back Matt Fuller to take a 7-3 lead.

It was LSU’s only major defensive error in the first half, and the longest play from scrimmage LSU has surrendered since Sellers’ 75yard touchdown run against the Tigers last season.

After the touchdown, the LSU defense allowed just 60 yards for the rest of the first half. The Tigers were particularly effective in their pursuit of Sellers, consistently pressuring the quarterback despite sacking him just twice in the opening half. Their effort allowed the LSU offense to potentially grow its 10-7 lead. But after taking the lead back on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to Green, LSU gained just 110 yards for the rest of the half, and Nussmeier threw an interception in South Carolina territory toward the end of the half. In short, LSU once again, couldn’t take advantage of the cushion created by its stingy defense. It was the theme of the first half and continued in part in the second, even if LSU was eventually victorious. LSU heads to Nashville, Tennessee, next Saturday to take on Vanderbilt. The game will be played at 11 a.m. on ABC or 11:45 a.m. on the SEC Network. Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU tight end Trey’Dez Green catches a pass over South Carolina defensive back Judge Collier for a second-quarter touchdown on

in Tiger Stadium.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier celebrates after an LSU touchdown in the first half between the Tigers and the Gamecocks on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach Brian Kelly discusses a penalty called against South Carolina on third down in the second quarter on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

LSU20, SOUTHCAROLINA10

NUSSMEIERUNDER THEMICROSCOPE

After throwing multiple wounded ducksatOle Miss and reportedly not throwing the ballduring open-date practices, all eyes were on LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to see howhelooked Saturday night against SouthCarolina. Despite limpingoff the field with acouple of hard hits on his ankle,hedid not appeartobelaboring on most of his throws. But he did kill twoLSU driveswith interceptions, one at the Gamecocks’ 1,that kept South Carolina in contention.

2

SCRUTINY FORTHE RUNNINGGAME

The other bigquestion entering the game:WouldLSU be committed to running the ball and howeffective would theTigers be? It wasclearfrom the start LSU putanemphasisonrunning more. Nussmeier had 21 passattempts at halftimeand LSU had 18 running plays Ju’Juan Johnson’sfumble at the South Carolina goal line for atouchback wasa glaring error, butthe Tigers didmanagea season-high 166 yards rushingon30attempts.Nussmeier took aknee twice at the endofthe game.

3

ANDTHE DEFENSE?

The Tigers were mostly in bend-but-don’t-break modeexcept for ahugebust in the first quarter, when South Carolina running back Matt Fuller brokecontain on a72-yard touchdown run. But the Tigers also kept Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers under constant pressure, forced him into twoturnovers, two intentional grounding penalties and held the rope until the LSU offense could getits act together witha big Nussmeierto-Kyle Parker touchdown pass in the third quarter

Nussmeierdoesn’t letbig hits linger

Tigers QB looksmore likeold self in victory

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Garrett Nussmeier took his fair share of punishing shots.Therewere times when South Carolina’sdefensive front collapsed his pocket anddrove him into the turf, testing thestructuralintegrity of asore torso behind so many of the LSU offense’sproblems. But each time, Nussmeier pickedhimself up. He wore theeffects of those hits on Saturday,but onlymomentarily. They didn’tlinger into subsequent drivesofa 20-10 win over the Gamecocks,hurting the Tigers’ chances of sustaining drives. Instead, other factors derailed LSU possessions. Not amysterious injury to its quarterback. Nussmeier looked sharp enough to give the Tigers two touchdown drives —all they neededto win. The last time LSU took the field, Nussmeier delivered ashaky performancein acostly loss to Ole Miss. Kelly said then that his quarterbackwas healthy.But it was clear something was bothering the second-yearstarter,and thelikely culprit was the abdominal strain thathe first suffered during preseason camp. Nussmeier wasn’tstepping into his throws, and he wasn’tlooking downfield. The few times he did aim deep, his passes wobbled off hishand, then fluttered incomplete In LSU’sopen date, Nussmeier didn’t throw —and it looks like that extrarest served him well. Against the Gamecocks, the fifth-year senior made afew key mistakes, but hestill operated more like he did in the Tigers’ convincing win over SoutheasternLouisianathan he did in their frustrating losstothe Rebels. Nussmeier threw multiple touchdown passes on Saturday,doing so against an FBS opponent for the first time this season. He finished with20completions on 33 pass attemptsfor 254 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Toooften, Nussmeier got in his own way.Hemade bad decisions and missed

from page1C

season-high 166 yards,averaging asolid 5.5 yards per carry.And yet The “and yet” for the running game goes hand and handwith the passing game. The Tigers made thingsway harderonthemselves than they had to because of the way they hemorrhaged in the aptly named red zone. LSU had afumble into the end zone fora touchback from the 1byJu’Juan Johnson, aNussmeier interception at the South Carolina 1and afinal drive when the Tigers had to settle for aDamian Ramos field goal after they reached the Gamecocks’ 1 and got pushed back to the 5over the next three downs.

And yet, Brian Kelly?

“Wewon the game,” the LSU coach said afterpicking up his 200th career FBS victory.“That’s agood thing.”

It is, as the Gamecocks could clearly attest. South Carolina certainly had plenty of its own issues. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers,

openreceivers.His first interception should’ve been acompletion for afirst down, but he sailed apasshigh over Kyle Parker’shead andintothe waiting arms of aSouthCarolina safety instead. Nussmeier’ssecond interceptionshould’ve beenarun up themiddle, but he decided insteadtopull theball away from Caden Durham and try to squeezeapass between twoGamecocks defenders Nussmeier did, however,make up for those mistakes Most of hispasses wereontime and

uponwhomvirtually all of South Carolina’s hopes for an upset rested, fumbled on his team’sfirst offensivesnapatthe 17 to setup an LSU field goalwhen the Tigers could just manage to get to the 10. He also threwaninterception and was harassedbyLSU’sgritty bend-but-rarely-break defense into two grounding penalties. In total, this was not agame filmthatwill be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Whoknew the green carpet of Tiger Stadium’smanicured turf held so many rockslying below thesurface, rocks the Tigers and Gamecocks dug up and threw at each other all nightwith varying degrees ofaccuracy.

As Kelly aptly described, the Tigers overcame “catastrophic” mistakestowin this game. The threetripsinthe red zone that resultedinnearly asmany turnovers (two)aspoints(three).The one big defensive bust afterthe Johnson fumble that allowed SouthCarolina running back MattFuller to break outona72-yardtouchdown run, the only time the Gamecocks would reachthe end zone. It was awin, andinasport that

on target— like the onethat he fired to Parker over the middle for ago-ahead, third-quarter touchdowncatch and run of 43 yards. To complete his first touchdown toss, Nussmeier fit aperfectly thrownpass into thehandsoftight end Trey’Dez Green. Later in the half, he steppedinto abeautifuldownfield throwtowardan open wide receiver Chris Hilton, who dropped awould-be completion of more than 40 yards. Nussmeier even used his legs. He

rolled outside the pocket. In the third quarter,heweaved through the South Carolina defense to pick up 21 yards on ascramble. In Week 5, it didn’tlook like Nussmeier was healthy enough to make those kinds of plays. Now he is —apositive development foranLSU offense that’strying to leave its early-season struggles behind.

Email Reed Darcey at reed.darcey@theadvocate.com.

is looking like the NFL moreand moreall the time, that counts for alot. Certainly South Carolina, which dropped to 2-21-1 all-time against LSU, would love to be going homewith an “ugly” upset

victory

But while the defense continued to hold up its end, it looked like the Tigers offense traded two problems for others. The biggest one is LSU hasn’tproduced enough

points against its toughest competition. The Tigers haven’tscored more than 20 points against any of their Power Four conference opponents: Clemson (17), Florida (20, including apick-six), Ole Miss (19) and now South Carolina. That’sthe first time that’shappened since LSU failed to break 20 against their first eight Power Four foes back in 1993.

“I was pleased with somethings we hadn’tbeen doing,” Kelly said. “Weran the ball, which we hadn’tbeen doing. But you can’t get downtothe 1three times and come away with three points.

“But it’sfind away to win. We had mistakes that could have been catastrophic, but we found a waytowin the game.”

The Tigers go on the road next week fortheir first gameagainst aranked Vanderbilt team since the 1940s. Acatastrophe-marred performance likely won’t be good enough.

Kelly,and his Tigers, know that as wellasanyone else.

For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

MICHAEL JOHNSON

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier throws apass before taking ahit from South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart in the second quarter of their game on SaturdayatTiger Stadium.

Disjointed Tulane’s path to CFPremains clear

Thursday was abeautiful, but fitful, night at Yulman Stadium.

Tulane fans enjoyed spectacular fall weather for the Green Wave’s nationally televised game against East Carolina. Unfortunately, not much else went right. The scoreboard clock malfunctioned (for the second consecutive game).

The ops crew got carried away and flashed the stadium lights during acritical extra-point attempt by Tulane kickerPatrick Durkin. And Tulane almost self-destructed in an avalanche of self-inflicted mistakes before regrouping to eek out adramatic, closer-than-itshould-have-been 26-19 win “It’sonly the second game of conference (play this season),” Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff saidin reference to the eventfulevening. “We’re all still figuring it out.”

That would be agood way to describe Jon Sumrall’ssecond Tulane team.

Sometimesitflashes. Other times it malfunctions

Despite it all, the Wave sits here at 5-1, squarely in position to wina second American Conference title in the past four years

The American Conference race looks wide open, and the champion likely will earn the Group of Five spot in the College FootballPlayoff. The remaining schedule, at least on paper,isfavorable forTulane.

TheWave avoids American contendersNavy (6-0), NorthTexas (5-1) and South Florida (5-1) in the schedule rotation. Consequently, Tulane should be favored in five of its remaining games: homegames againstArmy,Florida Atlantic and Charlotte, and road trips to TexasSan Antonio and Temple.

That leaves the big one at Memphis (6-0, 2-0) on Nov.7.IfTulane can knock offthe Tigers at Liberty Stadium,everything should take careofitself.The Wave would be in great position to host the American championship gameonDec. 5.

pressive wins over Boise State, Florida andNorth Texas,and its lone loss wastounbeatenMiami Still, the Bulls might have the most difficult road ahead, with road gamesatMemphis andNavy. Their dominant 63-36 win at North Texas on Friday night signaled them as a real factor the rest of the way

•North Texas (5-1, 1-1) has been the surprise team in the conference, with adominant win over Washington State. The Mean Green’schances at afirst American Conference title took abig hit Friday night when South Florida won 63-36 in Denton.

•The month of November will decide the fate of Navy (5-0, 3-0), whichshould be unbeaten when it faces North Texas, Notre Dame, SouthFlorida andMemphis in a brutal gauntlet.

“This team is going to give me health issues,” Sumrallsaid Thursday night.“We don’tplay with enough discipline, detail or maturity yet.But we’re going to get there.”

Sumrall looked and sounded Thursday night likea coach who neededalongweekend.

His voice was hoarse from screaming at the officials —who whistled11penalties on his team —and hisplayers and coaches who wereresponsible for an incon-

sistent performance.

The sloppy execution is not all that surprising consideringthe turnoverthe Green Wave experiencedthisoffseason.But this was Week 7, not Week 1.

“It givesyou hope, butit’salso frustrating because we’re halfway intothis season and we need to start playing really good football,” Sumrall said.

Nevertheless, Tulane’s path to the CollegeFootballPlayoff is stillvery clear —and very realistic.

Wilson achieves historic season forchampionAces

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

A’ja Wilson’snumbersin2025 were like none other

Nobody in the history of the WNBA —orthe NBA, for that matter —has put together aseason like the one Wilson did forthe Las VegasAces this year.

She won the WNBA’s MVP award. Wonthe scoring title. Helped her team win achampionship. Wasthe WNBA Finals MVP

All that has been done in the same season before on the NBA level, most recently when Oklahoma City’sShai Gilgeous-Alexander pulled offthe feat this past season. Michael Jordan did all that four times, whileShaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar diditonce

Buttheynever diditwhile also reigning as the NBA’s defensive playerofthe year.Wilson shared that award in the WNBA this season with Minnesota’sAlanna Smith. And that makes her 2025 resume unprecedented.

“I think greatness is ...” Wilson said afterthe Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury to finish off afourgame sweepofthe WNBAFinals on Friday night.

That’swhen she got interrupted by Aces coach Becky Hammon.

“A’ja Wilson,” Hammon said.

There’snoquestion: Wilson’s numbers aregreatness. Andhaving accomplishments mentioned alongside the likes of Jordan seemed to blow Wilson away

“It’spowerful, it really is,” Wilson said. “I still have alittle more winning to do before you put me in the conversation with him, but when you’re comparedtogreats, when you’re compared to legends, that means you’re doing something right, and Iamsograteful.”

Alook insidethe numbers, as Wilson continues cementing her status as one of the game’s all-time greats: Five years, sixtitles

Consider this: Wilson has been achampionineachofthe last

five years —with six titles in that span

She was part of the U.S. team that won gold at the Tokyo Olympics that were played in 2021, then captured aWNBA title and aWorld Cup gold medal in 2022, another WNBA title in 2023, another gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and now aWNBA title this season

Astatlinefor alltime

Wilson had 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and two steals in the titleclinching game on Fridaynight. There have been only five games in WNBA history where someone did allthat in onegame. Candace Parker did it twice. Wilson did it the other three times

It had never been done in the WNBA playoffs before Friday night.

Also, Wilson moved past Parker for No. 3onthe WNBA’s all-time playoff scoring list with her31 points Friday.Wilson(who also

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICK SCUTERI

Las VegasAces center A’ja Wilson reacts after aplayagainst the Phoenix Mercuryduring the second half of Game 3ofthe WNBAFinals on WednesdayinPhoenix. The Aces completed the sweep Friday

passed BasketballHall of Famer TamikaCatchings on that list Friday) has 1,171 points in her playoff career,22 morethanParker and 30 more than Catchings.

The only ones left for Wilson to catch on the playoff scoring list: DianaTaurasi (1,486) andDeWanna Bonner (1,291)

Arecord-settingseason. again Granted, seasons arelongernow Butfor thethird straight year, Wilsonset WNBArecords fortotal points andtotal rebounds when counting bothregular-season and playoff games.

She had 1,126 points in 2023, then 1,149 points in 2024 —and this year,1,259 points

The only otherplayers with more than 1,000 points in afull season areNew York’sBreanna Stewart(1,103 in 2023) and Indiana’sKelsey Mitchell (1,068 this season).

Wilson had 486 rebounds in 2023, 509 rebounds in 2024and 527 this season. Stewarthad 473 rebounds in 2023. And Wilson finished the regular season averaging23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. Sheisthe first player in WNBA history to average at least 20 pointsand 10 rebounds twice; three other players have done it once.

Andsomeplayoff records

Wilson had114 points in this season’sWNBA Finals, arecord.The previous mark: 110 by Phoenix’s Cappie Pondexter in 2007. Wilson played four games in these finals while Pondexter’srecord came in afive-game series.

Wilsonisnow up to 336 points in WNBAFinals games,the third mostinleague history behind a pair of Hall of Famers— Maya Moore (441 in 25 games) and Seimone Augustus (362 in 25 games).

Wilson has played 15 finals games. Wilson’stotals of 322 pointsand 120 rebounds in this year’splayoffs areboth WNBA recordsaswell. The previous marks: 285 pointsby Minnesota’s NapheesaCollierlast seasonand 116 rebounds by New York’s JonquelJones in 2023 (she played 10 games, Wilson played 12).

Wilson hadfive 30-point games in this season’splayoffs, the mostin any WNBA postseason. The previousrecordwas three, set by Wilson in 2023. Allbefore30, too

Wilson doesn’tturn 30 until next August No player in WNBAhistory hasmore total points (including playoffs) before turning 30 than Wilson,who is up to 6,890. Lauren Jackson had6,223 before turning 30, which wasthe pre-30 mark beforeWilson camealong. (Whenfactoring regular season only,Jackson remains No. 1with 5,757 points, just ahead of Wilson’s 5,719.)

Wilson also has more rebounds before turning 30 again, countingplayoffs —than any other WNBA player.Tina Charles had 2,884 in regularseason games before turning 30, while Wilson is now at 2,495. But when adding in playoffs, Wilson is up to 3,039, just ahead of Charles’ 3,025.

Here’salook at Tulane’s main competition: •Memphis has the best chance to win the American (45.9%), according to ESPN Analytics. The Tigers owna winoverArkansas, but that doesn’t look so impressive now. Still, their No. 18 strengthof schedulegivesthemaslight edge over No. 19 South Florida. In addition to the Tulane game, the Tigers playhost to SouthFlorida on Oct. 25 and Navy on Nov.27, so the road tothe American title will run through Memphis.

•South Florida (5-1, 2-0) has im-

So as you can see, Tulane is in great position to makearun at anotherconference title and afirstever berth in the CFP.The Green Wave will need to playmuchbetter than it has in recent weeks, but it’s all right there in front of the team.

“There is alot of fight in this team,” Sumrallsaid. “There’sa lot of grit in this team.And it is a tough group. It’s just notstill to the levelweneed it to be.But Idon’t think we’regoing to back down. Ithink we’re going to respond. We’ve still got alot to play for.”

Tulane spreadspasses around to achievefeat

BY GUERRYSMITH Contributingwriter

WhenJake Retzlaff completed athird-quarter pass to runningback Jamauri McClureonThursdaynight,Tulaneachieved something it had done only once in at least the past 30 years, and no other FBS team had accomplished this season. Say what you wantabout the Green Wave’smistake-filled 2619 escape against East Carolina at YulmanStadium —and coach JonSumrall offeredplenty of choice words about the undisciplined performance— but onehugepositivewas theway Retzlaff spread the ball around to 12 receivers. Since1995, the only other occasioninwhichthe Wave hit the dozen mark was in 2011 against Syracuse in Bob Toledo’ssecond-to-last gameas coach.

Unlike that outing, Tulane (5-1, 2-0American Conference) won this time, with Javin Gordon, Tre Shackelford, Bryce Bohanon, Anthony Brown-Stephens, Zycarl Lewis, Garrett Mmahat, Shazz Preston, Justyn Reid, Anthony Miller,OmariHayes, Jimmy Calloway andMcClure allcatching at least one pass.

Interestingly,the Wave surpassedthe mark of 11 different receivers East Carolina set against Campbellfor the high this season.

“Truthfully,this is the culmination of aalot of hard work by thereceivers, running backs and tight ends and me getting on the same page,” said Retzlaff,who went26of36for 347 yards. “I feel likeweshould have scored 50 points tonight.The only reason we didn’tscore atouchdownon every drive is we shot ourselves in the foot when we shouldn’t have.”

Retzlaff added that he sawthe improvement coming earlier in the week after he struggled initially on timing with the receivers after transferring from BYU barely morethan amonth before theseason opener against Northwestern.

“The waywethrew the ball this weekinpractice, (passing game coordinator)coach (Will) Hall kept telling us, man, we look like we can ripthe ball,” he said. “Wewere throwing it and catching it better than we have all year,and it showed up tonight. To see it come to fruition is awesome. It’s something to be proud of when you see the hard work pay off.”

None of the completions were more important than the three Retzlaff threw on third down during Tulane’swinning touchdown drivelateinthe fourth quarter.First, he hit Bohanon for a7-yarder on aback-shoulder throw when the Wave faced athird and 4atits 31. Next, he connectedwith Lewis on awheel route for 12 yards on thirdand 3fromthe Tulane 45. Finally,he found Brown-Stephens near the sidelinefor 5yards to the East

on Thursday. Tulane had 12 different receivers catch apass in the game.

Carolina 32, converting athird and4 “AB (Brown-Stephens) making thatcatch,Iwas unsure about it because the nickel kind of skated outquick,” Retzlaff said. “But then whenI kind of pulled up, he kind of pulledup, so Ijust ripped it on A-B and he made a good catch right at the sticks for afirst down. Those plays were huge. Ijust know Itrust these guys. (Lewis) made agreat catch and Bo (Bohanon) made an awesome catch,too, on aballbehind him. Earlierinthe year,Ihadn’t been making thosethrows and they hadn’tbeen making the catches.”

As bad as Retzlafffelt about Tulane’srepeated failures near the East Carolina goal line six drives to the 11 or closer produced only 12 pointsuntil the winning touchdowninthe finalminute —heconsideredita breakout game. Hisyardagetotal was oneshy of his FBS high set at BYU last season, and he completed 72.5% of his passesafter entering with the lowest completion rate (54.3) in the American Conference.

“It’sbeen frustrating for me personally because I’musedtoa high levelofplayout of myself, and Iwasn’tseeing that,” he said. “Tosee it clickinconferenceplay is super exciting.”

Acouple of his targets were first-timecontributors. Shackelford, aWashingtonState transferwho had gone without acatch in the first five games, had four receptions for65yards. Mmahat, who missed the first five games with aleg injury,made his first twocareer receptions in the first quarter Lewis, who enteredwith 64 yards receiving, nearly matchedthattotal with his63yard catch-and-run for agoahead touchdown in the fourth quarter

“Weplayed really good offenseinspurts,” Sumrallsaid while lamenting aparade of penaltiesinthe redzone. “We just could not get across the goal line.”

STAFFPHOTO By BRETT DUKE Tulane Green Wave wide receiver Zycarl Lewiscatches atouchdown pass against the East Carolina Pirates during the second half at yulmanStadium

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

Tulane Green Wave quarterback JakeRetzlaff throws the ballduring the firsthalf of agameagainst the East Carolina Pirates on Thursdayat yulman Stadium.

Jeff Duncan

OUTDOORS

NOTEBOOK

The Louisiana Wildlifeand Fisheries Foundation is auctioning ablack bear hunt during December’sseason to raise moneyfor its projects supporting Department of Wildlife and Fisheries projects. The auction will continue through Thursday.

Foundation auctioning December bear hunt

BY JOE MACALUSO

Contributing writer

Building on its fundraising efforts during Thursday’s “A Wild Night,” the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation is in the middle of an auction for achance to take ablack bear during the upcomingseason in December

The auction began Thursdayand willend at noon Thursday,Oct. 16. According to the LDWFF,proceeds from the auction will“directly support black bear researchand help LAWFF fund critical studies and conservation efforts of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.”

The foundation is billing thethree-day guided hunton oneofour state’s“premier hunting destinations” Palmetto Lodge —inBlack Bear Management Area4

The hunt was donated by a landowner who was drawn out in this year’sblack bear hunt lottery

The foundation also is hoping to raise funds for its projects with araffle of a Chevrolet Silverado.

Tickets are $20 and available on org/la-conservationraffle.

For more on the blackbear auction and the raffle, go to the foundation’swebsite: lawff.org.

S.T.A.R. setting

From 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Thursday at Live Oak at Cedar Lodge (6300 Jefferson Hwy.) in BatonRouge, the

winners of CCA Louisiana’s summerlong statewidetournamentand anglers’ rodeo will receive theircoveted prizesofrigged-outboats andbig-money tacklepackages for catching thetop fish in several categories.

It’salso the Baton Rouge chapter’sannualbanquet.

Redsnapper

This week might be your last chance to take red snapper after the latest (Sept.28) LA Creelestimateput the private recreationaltake at 852,823 pounds. That’s 95.3% of Louisiana’s894,955-pound annual allocation

Word from Wildlife and Fisheries fishery managers is aclosure is imminent when less than 5% of theannual allocation remains.

The weekending Sept. 28 showed theestimated one-week takewas 13,532 pounds If the first week in October’sestimate reaches that number,it’slikely the season will close next week

It’s aboutline

Andrew Ragas spent lots of time writing this month on astory titled “When And Where To FishBraid, Mono &Fluorocarbon.”

It’sagood read from Courtland (available on cortlandline.com)and touches on most allaspects of howto choose the proper line for specific types of fishing.

Ragas touchedonmostall aspectsofline choice,especiallyconcentrating on how

important it is to knowwhich line to use, line strengthand where to use specific line.

“Andthe more you know aboutwhat line accomplishes, themoreprepared you’ll be to make educated decisions and addressing fishing conditions,” Ragas wrote.

Swampclosure

Recent heavy rains and strongeast winds sentwater high enough to close the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Areatodeer hunters.Wildlifeand Fisheries staffwill monitor water levels andannouncea reopening of thedeerseason when thewater falls below 1.75 feet on the WMA’s flood gauge.

More on venison

Interesting, too, wasan email from Penn State’s extensionservice offering a“Venison 101: Processing and Preparation” course.

It’s alearn-as-you-go online course with a$29 fee that expands on last Sunday’sAdvocate Outdoors story about careneeded to take adeer from the field to your table.

It takes 31/2 hoursand “coverswildgamefood safety, butchering and preservation methods such as drying, freezing and canning. Experts will demonstrate how to make jerky and three venison entree recipes.”

The PennState extension’swebsiteisextension. psu.edu/venison-101-onlinecourses.

FINALS.T.A.R FISHING RESULTS

The final leaderboardaslistedon the CCA-Louisiana website forthe Statewide Tournament &Anglers’ Rodeo with categories/divisions, anglers &weight of catch in pounds Topanglers wonboats, outboards, trailers &tackle packages. All entries in kayak,ladies-only,flyfishing &calcasieu calcuttaare speckled trout.

Speckled trout: East, Andrew Haase, 6.48 pounds; Southeast, Travis Dardenne, 6.32; Southwest, Michael Godley,6.45; West, MichaelFesco, 7.9. Cobia: Coleman Fox, 65.5. Redsnapper: Phi-Thai Nguyen, 28.36 Mangrove snapper: Ty James, 12.02. Sheepshead: East, Lindsey Stevens, 9.4; West, Kael Mayo,5.72. Yellowfin tuna: Brady Brown, 83.79.

Bank fishing: JustinFesco, 5.43. Calcasieu calcutta: Ross Byrley.5.44. Fly fishing: East, John Neyhard, 3.06; West,Brandon LeBoeuf, 2.15. Kayak: East, DannyCompagno, 5.22; Southeast, Emile Doumit, 2.74; Southwest,Zack Luke,5.75; West Douglas Menefee, 4.1. Ladies only: East, FayPersac, 4.99; West,Morgan Kaczynski, 5.5.

MONDAY

RED STICK FLYFISHERS

MEETING: 7p.m., Regional Branch Library,9200 Bluebonnet Blvd.,Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email Brian Roberts: roberts. brian84@gmail.com Website: rsff.org

TUESDAY

LA. OYSTER TASK FORCE

MEETING: 10 a.m.,Lakefront Airport, 6001 Stars &Stripes Check outthe Outdoors calendar for fishing meetings and hunting schedules, New Orleans. LegislativeCommittee meeting, 9a.m same venue.

WEDNESDAY

FLIES &FLIGHTS: 7p.m Rally

Cap Brewing, 11212 Pennywood Ave.,Baton Rouge. Fly tying. Open to public. Spare tools, materials for novices. Email Chris Williams: thefatfingeredflytyer@gmail.com

THURSDAY

S.T.A.R./CCABATON ROUGE

BANQUET: 5:30 p.m.,Live Oak at Cedar Lodge, 6300 Jefferson Hwy Baton Rouge. Prizes from summer-long fishing event, raffles, silent/ liveauctions. Call Nolan Reynerson (225) 952-9200. Email: SAM@ccalouisiana.com

ACADIANA FLYRODDERS

PROGRAM: 6p.m Pack & Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook,Lafayette. Open to public. Email

DarinLee: cbrsandcdc@ gmail.com. Website: acadianaflyrodders.org

HUNTINGSEASONS

DEER/ARCHERY: Through Oct 15, State Deer Areas 5, 6&9, bucks only; Oct.16-Feb. 15, either-sex takeallowed..

DEER/YOUTH-ONLY & HONORABLYDISCHARGED

VETERANS: Through Oct.17, State Deer Area 2.

DEER/PRIMITIVE FIREARMS: Through Oct.17, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8&10.

DEER/PRIMITIVE FIREARMS: Oct. 18-24, State Deer Areas 2.

DOVES: South Zone,Oct. 18Nov. 30; NorthZone,through Nov. 16;

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Oct. 18-Nov.30, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8&10.

DEER/YOUTH-ONLY & HONORABLYDISCHARGED

VETERANS: Oct. 25-31, State Deer Areas 1, 4, 5, 6&9

DEER/ARCHERY: Through Jan. 15, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8& 10. Either-sex takeallowed.

DEER/ARCHERY: Through Jan. 31, State Deer Areas 1, 2&4

Either-sex takeallowed.

RABBITS &SQUIRRELS: Through Feb. 28, statewide, private landsonly AROUND THECORNER

OCT.21—LAFAYETTE KAYAK FISHINGCLUBMEETING: 6p.m., Pack &Paddle, 601 E.

Pinhook, Lafayette. Call (337) 232-5854. Website: lafayettekayakfishing.com

FISHING/SHRIMPING

SHRIMP: Fall inshore&outside watersopen statewide.

Damon Singleton

ILLUSTRATION By ARTHUR NEAD

HowNew Orleansgot itsspirits back

Halloweennight 2005 was bizarre even by the standardsof Halloween —and the French Quarter

Part of the old neighborhood stillhad the smell of mildew that was permeating the entire city two months after Hurricane Katrina. The Quarter had not flooded much but there were signs of wind and rain damage. At the Napoleon House, activity was somewhat normal, though for shortened hours. Locals were gathering, many sitting at the outside tables telling their Katrina stories to anyone who would listen. Over aPimm’sCup, patrons could watch miscellaneous maskers walking by even before the bewitching darkness set in.

With the city still struggling from the post-Katrina levee break, the FrenchQuarter was one of the few places where there was activity,though in a different way Refrigerators, their contents deprived of cooling for weeks because of the electric outage, lined the sidewalks. They were taped so as not to allow the grossness within to eke out.

There was one bit of good fortune along Decatur Street Café Du Monde had reopened and the glorious whiffs of frying beignets and café au lait added abadly neededfragrance to the air Emergency workers camping out in nearby tents were drawn by the smell thatprovided some counterbalance to the odor along the riverfront.

Coop’sPlace was one of the few restaurants open, though serving alimited menu, so limited that nothing could be served that used tap water Greens could not be washed so there were no salads.Fresh brewed iced tea? How abouta Coke?

Business activity throughout the Quarter was for the most part nonexistent except for one local artist who was gleeful that imported Federal Emergency Management Agency workers took afancy to his work and had been good customers. There was no denying the despair and uncertainty that

At 91,Louisiana-bornbluesman

BobbyRushisstill touringand recording: “I want to do allI cannow,while Ican”

MAKING A STATEMENT

BY KEITHSPERA Staff writer

On ahot night in June, 91-yearold Louisiana-born bluesman Bobby Rush staged aPG-13 solo show at Chickie WahWah, the intimate Canal Street music venue.

He picked and strummed a guitar,blew on aharmonica, ventured out among the tables to interact with theladies and spun acolorful tale about being tied up in bed.

“I’m an entertainer,” he explained thenext day.“Ifind ways to makepeople laugh and have funand feel good about themselves for the moment.”

Himself included. At Chickie WahWah, he sang thelyric, “You better takeagood look, people/ this could be thelast time you see me.”

Don’tbet on it.

Rush’sversion of 91 is akin to mostpeople’s61. Not long after that Chickie WahWah date, he jetted off to Europe for several concerts with Louisiana blues-rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd,

Didactress

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

At the beginning of Taylor

Swift’ssecond track on her celebrated new album, “The Life of aShowgirl,” she asks, “ElizabethTaylor Do you think it’sforever?” Swift parallels her life with that of the legendaryactress —another Taylor —comparing their timelinesofwhirl-

wind fame and stormy lovelives. But does that superstardom last forever?

ElizabethTaylortrends

According to Google Trends, “WhoisElizabeth Taylor?” searches wereup 9,000%, as Swifties rush to discover thework of the actress, whose glowseems to have fadedamong the young.

PROVIDED IMAGE

The coverof‘young Fashioned Ways,’the 2025 album by multigenerational Louisiana blues musicians BobbyRush and KennyWayne Shepherd.

who is more than 40 years his junior Earlier this year,Rush and Shepherd released thewellreceived collaborative album “Young Fashioned Ways.”Rush also contributed to the soundtrack of the hit vampire horror film “Sinners.”

On Sunday,Rush returns to New Orleans to close the free Crescent City Blues &BBQ Festival in Lafayette Square downtown at 7p.m. Later this month, he’ll sail out of San Diego, California, aboard the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.

As he heads toward the century mark, slowing downisnot in his plans.

“I wanttodoall Ican now,while Ican,” he says. “When comes the timeI can’tdoit, Iwon’tregret what Idid not do.”

Behind acurtain Rush wasborn EmmettEllis Jr in rural Homer in 1933. He grew up in afarmhouse without electricity and indoor plumbing. In 1947, he moved with his

See RUSH, page 8D ä See HALLOWEEN, page 9D

Now,that doesn’tmean themasses have forgotten Taylor.It’sjust that most Swifties don’twatch Turner Classic Movies. So, naturally,they wouldn’t know that Taylor was aregular visitor to New Orleans long before Swift’s“Eras Tour” conquered the Superdomefor three nights last October Still, Dee Jeffers has some

questions. She’sdefinitely not aSwiftie, but she keeps up withthe news, and she’s noticed how Swift put the other Taylor back intothe spotlight “It mademestartthinking about Elizabeth Taylor’smovies,” the Baton Rouge resident said. “I know she made somemovies that were set in

Apromotional photo of Elizabeth Taylor from the 1957 film ‘Raintree County,’ which was shot nearbyinMississippi.The filmingwas supposed to continue in St. Francisville afterward but was canceled.

Errol Laborde STREETCAR

STAFF FILE PHOTOBySCOTT THRELKELD

Louisiana-born bluesmen BobbyRush, left, and KennyWayne Shepherd performinthe Blues Tent during the 2025 NewOrleans Jazz &HeritageFestival.

DININGSCENE

Uptown church gets newlifeasagrand venue

Amonumental buildingin

Uptown New Orleans that sat dormant for two decades has been brought back to life, and its first public event will be asuitably grand culinary happening to lift the lid.

visually transform the interior by projecting scenes of anything from arain forest to outer space; Steele’swork will be focused on the rear walland the high domed ceiling.

Ian McNulty WHAT’S COOKING

The Josephine on Napoleon is the name for the new event venue now open in the former Our Lady of Lourdes Church, at 2400 Napoleon Ave., close to Freret Street.

The property was sold by the Archdiocese of New Orleans yearsago and converted to its new use by adeveloper team led by David Fuselier and his sister Mimi Spiehler.The restaurant group Dickie Brennan &Co. partnered with them to operate the venue, handling its booking catering and productions.

The church was dedicated in 1925 and stands as astriking example of Mission Revival architecture on acentral Uptown corridor.The doors open to amassive hall under asoaring domed roof. As the Josephine on Napoleon,it is designed to host abroad range of events, from weddings to concerts and other performances.

“Here’sa100-year-old church with new life again. Ijust get goosebumps when Iwalkin,”said Dickie Brennan. “I hope it will become aplace where generations of people make memories now.”

Honoring aculinary legend

The venue has begun holding private events. On Nov.12, the Josephine on Napoleon will host its first ticketed event, adinner and fundraiser in honor of Jacques Pépin. Credited with introducing French cuisine to generations of Americans through his cookbooks and TV shows, the chefand educator will turn 90 later this year.Tomark

the milestone, hisnonprofit, the Jacques Pépin Foundation, is coordinating90birthday parties aroundthe country,atsome of the biggestnames inthe restaurant business. Earlier this year,Miss River restaurant from Alon Shaya in the FourSeasons hosted an edition too.

Theevent plannedfor the Josephine on Napoleon is inspired by adinner Dickie Brennan cohosted with chefs Susan Spicer and FrankBrigsten back in 1993, bringing Louisiana flavor to the Napa Valley wine auction. Forthisedition, dubbed “Napa Meets NOLA,”Brennan and Spicer are collaborating with chef Michel Nischan ofNew York, a close friendofPépin, to recreate that 1993 menu.

Cure, thecocktail lounge nearby onFreretStreet, will serve a cocktail hourwith oysters and caviar in thecourtyard before the seated four-course dinner in the venue.

“It was amagical dinner,so we thought, let’sdoitagain to celebrate Jacques being 90,” said Brennan.

Tickets are $250, and proceeds benefit theJacques Pépin Foundation, which supportsculinary education

Astunningreturn

The debut of theJosephine on Napoleon comes after an extensive renovation. Today,though, it feels like a historic structure that has simply been kept up through theyears. There’sa mix of weathered patina and fresh veneer across theinterior spaces. The historic altar remains in place, as does the Lourdes grotto in an alcove be-

side it,now dressed up with neon touches.

The choir lofthas becomeits own distinct space, foruse as a bridal suite during weddings, for instance. Wings flanking the main hall are now apair of bars for events.

Akey design element forfuture events is image mapping (aka projection mapping) from local artist Brennan Steele. This can

With courtyards and other spaces, it has 8,000 square feet available. Capacity forguests can range from 300 to just over 1,000 people, depending on the configuration of indoor and outdoor spaces.

It’s amajor new addition to the ranks of local event spaces, and one Uptown. It joins another,separate project poised to transform this block. Just next door,work is underway to build anew Trader Joe’sstore on property that was previously aschool.

Growinginevents

The Josephine on Napoleon is a major new addition forthe Dickie Brennan &Co. restaurant group’s portfolio. The company is by managing partner Steve Pettus, its namesake Dickie Brennan and his sister Lauren Brennan Brower (and, increasingly,with the family’snext generation). It’s one branch of the famous Brennan restaurant family (other branches run Brennan’s, Commander’sPalace, Mr.B’s Bistro and more).

Best knownfor its large French Quarter restaurants —Dickie Brennan’sSteakhouse, Bourbon House, and Tableau (and, until its recent closure, Palace Cafe), the group in 2023 started managing catering and event service across Audubon Nature Institute properties, including the Uptownzoo, downtownaquarium and other facilities. The new event venue is part of that division.

“This makes us moreofa onestop shop forpeople planning events, because we have private roomsinrestaurants, all these venues around the city,and now we have this,” said Pettus.

Dickie Brennan &Co. also runs the Audubon Clubhouse restaurant in Audubon Park, Acorn (the cafe in the Louisiana Children’s Museum in City Park), and the market/cafethe Commissary,Bellegarde Bakery and the historic Pascal’sManale Restaurant, just afew blocks away from The Josephine on Napoleon.

Email IanMcNultyat imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

EXCELLENCE!

n Hispanic Hobnobbing

The Empire Ballroom of the HyattRegency Hotel buzzed with the excitementofone of the most anticipated events of theseason, the Excelencia Gala. Put on bythe Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, it commenced with apatron partysponsored by Brasa Steakhouse and chef Edgar Caro,who purveyed such tasty Colombian fare as sancocho de res. Julio &Cesar kickedoff the sounds.

At 8p.m., ValGrubb, of ValGrubb andAssociates, stepped forward as mistress of ceremoniesfor the Colombia-inspired evening. Next came the U.S. MarineCorpsColor Guard, thePledge of Allegiance, welcoming remarks by the HCCL Presidentand CEO MayraE.Pineda and the lauding of the honorees. They werePan-American Life InsuranceGroup (Corporate Partner),New Orleans Jazz Museum (CommunityLeader), Jones Walker (President’s Choice), Julio Melara,Melara Enterprises (Small Business) and Julissa Olivares (Young Professional). Artist Arlyn Joenez from the Dominican Republiccreatedthe awards. For the pleasuresofthe table, chef Kalych Padro andhis team prepared aColombian menu of fish ceviche, pork shankonpolenta andchocolatetres leches, and for the entertainment, Ritmeaux Krewe performed Mardi Gras Productionscaptured theColombian theme withvivid floral arrangements and impressive lighting,while Velvet &Wood Rentals provided furniture, and Melara FlowerDesigns andFat CatFlowers addedmorefloral color.Meanwhile, the silent auction, which was set up outside the ballroom, beckoned with 140+ items, and as donors, Boudreaux’sJewelry Becky Fos,TerranceOsborne, Drew Brees, and the host hotel (among others for staycations).

Reveling in the thrillsofthe gala were Bill Hines and Richard Cortizas (Jones Walker) with spouses Mary and Erica, Julio and Sherry Melara, HelenaMoreno and Chris Meeks, BillCassidy, Mayra and Hector Pineda, Raiza and Brian Pitre, Jennyand RonnieMains, Patty and Philip Riddlebarger, Teresa and David Lawrence, ReynoldVerret,AnaGershsnik andson Alex, Millie and RobertKohn, Sandra and Eric Lindquist,Vilexis and Danny Cruz, Jacqueline Simon,and scores more, who made the dance floor their playground

The entertainment sponsor was theNew OrleansJazzMuseum and the talented selection of entertainers included Javier Olondo andAshe Son, Julio &Cesar,DJDotcommer,vocalist SantiagoLinares,and pianist Ronald Rodriguez. In thejoy of the beat and the bash, Excelencia-goers packed thefloorfromthe beginning to the endofaneventful evening.

n The Vest of Philanthropy

Aboard meeting and donation was the rally for several dozen at the Garden District home of Richard C. Colton Jr., who answers informally to Dick,and has been an avid artcollector and owner of race horses. A deadly form of cancer transformed his looks and life decades ago. To acknowledge life and his spiritual journey as aresult of his healthbattle, he wrote and published abook, “No More. No Less:AnArtful Cancer Journey.ARemarkable Community.ARediscovered Purpose.” Always agiving person, he became arecognized philanthropist At his home, the décor was autumnal, thanks to elegant florals, candlelit accents, and decorative pumpkins. Appreciation tapped Sheree Soule and Tina Soden for their coordination. Ablown-up check caught every eye. This represented

thegift awarded that evening by theRichard C. Colton Jr Foundation to theNew Orleans Policeand Justice Foundation. The $88,000 donation was for thepurchase of protective vestsfor thepolice officers. As areaction to theNew Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street, Colton wanted to establish somethingenduringand consequential for the men and women in uniform. Among thosepresent were New OrleansPolice Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick NOP&JF President and CEO Melanie Talia anddirector of Communication and Development Matt Stone, Sergeant MelanieDillon,Lt. Andrew Waldron, and SPO JerryBaldwin. AndRCC Foundation board members Betsy Becker Laborde, Matthew Waldron, John Carrere, and ScottSonnier Tommy Palfrey performed classical

n Bar Plaudits

The New OrleansBar Association’sPresidents’ Award recognizes attorneys who, in addition to their professional excellence and integrity,have dedicated themselves to community service. Lastyear, Irving J.Warshauer was honored, following Leann Opotowsky Moses in 2023.

As it has been for years, the late-afternoon ceremony took place in the Windsor Court Hotel. It was opened by the welcoming remarks of NOBA President ThomasM Flanagan.Next, past presidents wererecognized. Since 2016-2017, thepresidents have been ChristopherK.Ralston,Judge Dana M. Douglas, Jason P.Waguespack, James C. Gulotta Jr.,William B. Gaudet, Peter E. Sperling, JanM.Hayden, StephenJ.Herman,and now,Thomas Flanagan,2024-2025. In 2015-2016, Judy Y. Barrasso answered to president. At the reception, she also answered tothe 2025 Presidents’ Award recipient.

The honored Judy graduated from Tulane UniversityLaw School summa cum laude and began her litigation career at Stone Pigman. Thanks to alaw school alphabetized seating chart, she met Brent Barriere –described as bright and handsome, whobecame her husband. They are parents of daughters Ashleyand Jennifer Barriere, who are both lawyers. Her firm is now Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman andSarver

After Judy Barrasso received the Presidents’ Award of amarble obelisk, she delivered her remarks, urging her colleagues to “Try not to lose our own voices. To not be intimidated.” She continued encouraging pro bono work and “to help the rule of law remain the rule of law.”

Further notables were Brent, Ashley and Jennifer Barriere, NOBA treasurer Angie Christina,Louisiana SupremeCourt Justice PiperGriffin,and Judy’slaw partners Steven Usdin, Stephen Kupperman,and GeorgeFreeman AlsoChief Judge Wendy Vitter retired Judge Robin Giarrusso,WalterLegerJr.,Kim Boyle,Chris Ralston, and Judy PerryMartinez.Others too, whoenjoyed drinks and passed appetizers, namely truffle crabmeat on brioche, spanakopita, and bacon-wrapped dates. They also queued up to congratulate the honoree who, in addition to her exemplary professionalism and her devotion to family,loves to socialize. Judge Susie Morgan remarked in theprinted program, “There is no dance floor she won’t dance. There is no partyshe won’tattend….And she will have agood time.”

music, Grevy Photography (Carroll S. Grevemberg)took pictures,and Laura Arrowood prepared ascrumptious sit-down dinner withlovely china and stemware. It consisted of watermelon lump crabmeat, plated steak and salmon, and Mr.Colton’s favorite dessert, aroot beer float served with acookie.

$1,895,000

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT

Bill Hines, Richard Cortizas, Mayraand Hector Pineda

Julio Melara, Teresa Lawrence

Belkis and Bob DiCianni, Raiza Pitre Ronnie and JennyMains, Janet Brewster

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT

Angie Christina, Brent Barriere, JudyBarrasso, Thomas Flanagan

JudgeSarah Vanceand Patrick Vance

JudgeDana Douglas, Chloé Chetta, Justice Piper Griffin Kelly Juneau Rookard,Steve Herman

Anne Kirkpatrick, Richard Colton Jr., Betsy Laborde STAFF

PHOTOSBy NELLNOLAN

Matt Stone, John Carrere, Melanie Talia, MatthewWaldron

TRAVEL

History, nature converge at PovertyPoint

Hike,swim, camp near statepark’s ancientmounds

BY CATHERINE S. COMEAUX

Contributing writer

Catherine S. Comeaux and her family spent three summers exploring state, national andprovincial parks —from Louisiana to Alaska then Nova Scotia and along the Mississippi River in between. This year,she turns her attention to our Louisiana state parks to discover the natural beauty of the South less than a day’sdrive from home.

Despite alifetime of road tripping, nearby north Louisiana has been unexplored territory for me. That detail changed with avisit to Poverty Point Reservoir State Park and the nearby Poverty Point World Heritage Site in Richland Parish, where my family and Iencountered bald eagles and hidden volcanoes as we enjoyed the state park and learned about one of the most significantarchaeological sites in the world

The 2,700-acre Poverty Point Reservoir,built in 2001, is encircled by state park boat launches, picnic areas and cabins alongside ascattering of residential development and agolf course. The park’scampsite and hikingtrails offer amore natural feel, tucked away in awooded area near Bayou Maçon. An early evening hike exploring the woods led us through frog-infested territory (a sure sign of snakes) and alongsidethe Marsden Mounds —five earthen mounds built thousands of years ago and so worn down they could be mistaken for golf course hills

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

if it weren’tfor theeducational signage.

Archaeologists tell us that this area has been intermittently inhabited for 3,000 years, with its current inhabitants being nomadicRVand tent campers.

Jumpingover asnake, making our way throughthe campground, atentwith an exhaust vent caughtour eye. Jim from Florida explained that it was part of the air conditioningsystem that cooled his bell tent(powered by thesite’selectrical hookup.) Havingcampedall over theUnited States, he wasonhis sixthtrip to PovertyPoint Reservoir,which he considers one ofthe best state parks forcamping because of its shaded tent sites, well-maintained tent pads, clean bath houses (with laundry facilities) andanice buffer zone between tentsand RVs.

Thecampgroundwas well occupied in July,but thereservoir itself seemed abandoned —perhaps owing to the heat. The small sandy beach on the northend was

apopular spot for swimming, but therest of thepublic shoreline, secured by rocks, is forbidden to foot traffic.

In theearly evenings, acouple of party barges ventured out, and boaters pulled kids on tubes. Few people were fishing —word among anglers is that thebass are biting in thefall and springtime, but all we caught off our cabin’s porch was ahotdog-sized catfish.

In addition to fishing, we did alittle birding. Over morning coffee, we saw abald eagle and watched swallows catching their breakfast.Inthe woods, we spotted abright yellow Baltimore Oriole, not surprising since thepark is within the Mississippi Flyway —amajor route for migrating birds which follows the Mississippi River watershed.

For thousands of years, people have also used this watershed route—aphenomenon we learned moreabout on our visit to thePoverty Point World Heritage Siteabout 15 miles northofthe park.

Abird’s-eye view of Poverty Pointshows what looks like a rainbow of earthen ridges (slightly obscured by tree growth) coming off of Bayou Maçon’swestern bank.

To better appreciate what, from theground, looks like lumpy farmland, visitors will want to stop at the museum to see stylized images of how the earthworks would have looked in the era when they werebuilt around 1700 B.C.

The museum houses artifacts, like the bird-shaped pendants distinctive of this site, madeof various materials indicating it was once the hub of an expansive trade network.

Educational displays and ashort film tell the story of the unique people whomoved tremendous quantities of earth to create ridges and mounds, including the largest ancient earthworks in the Western Hemisphere. Known as the Bird Mound, it is the only mound that visitors are allowed to climb.

He challenged us to renamethe site since “Poverty Point” was unthinkingly borrowed from a relatively short-lived plantation, so named because of the difficulty of farming in the area. But the ancient inhabitants weren’tfarmers; they werehunter-gatherers whotypically don’tsettle downin one place.

Aquestion archaeologists continue to grapple is, “Why did they settle here?”

Until recently,the answer was simply its location within the Mississippi watershed with its river connectivity

Newlyacquired data using electrical resistivity tomography suggests another reason —mud volcanoes which would have been unique in the area, attracting attention with their gaseous, bubbly and potentially fiery spewing. Did the inhabitants somehow harness the energy of these geological features, or did they hold supernatural significance?

This short visit to nearby north Louisiana was relaxing and also surprised me with the worldfamous wonders that lay less than aday’sdrive from home.

Know before yougo

n The state park is in black bear territory,sobeprepared to stow your food if tent camping.

n Groceries are available in Delhi.

n Allow twohours to ahalf day forexploring the Poverty Point World Heritage Site.

The guided tram tour offered a breezy shaded view of the site in mid-July.The interpretive ranger enthusiastically answered questions and told stories based on over acentury of archaeological findings.

n Tram tours of Poverty Point World Heritage Site are offered at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1p.m. and 3p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays in March through October, weather permitting.

Bookingerror strandsfamily, buttheystill hadtoget newtickets

Christopher Elliott

Ibooked a flight from Buenos Airesto Puerto Iguazú,Argentina, for my family.I bought the tickets on Flybondi, an Argentinelow-fare airline, through FlightHub.Despite carefully entering our flight details, the airlinesaid our passportnumbers were random characters.We had to buy newtickets for $1,114 on Flybondi.

FlightHub blamed the airline, but Flybondi confirmed FlightHub enteredfake passportdata. FlightHub has refusedto give us arefund, claiming the tickets are nonrefundable. How can Iget FlightHub to takeresponsibility for thiscostly error?

Emily Day, Brookline, Massachusetts

FlightHub should have ensured its system accuratelytransmit-

ted your passport information to Flybondi. Under U.S. Department of Transportation guidelines, ticket agents must provide complete and correct booking details. FlightHub’sfailure to do so —and its use of placeholder passport numbers —breached that responsibility

Could you have avoided this?

Possibly.Ifyou had checked your Flybondireservations online, you mighthaveseen thegibberish passport information sooner.You tried to do that, butthe airline advisedyou to check in at thegate. Keeping athorough paper trail, as you did, was critical. You reached outtoFlightHub’scustomer service viachat and spoke to arepresentativeonce you were in Puerto Iguazú. He opened a case andeventually acknowl-

edged that this was not your fault and agreed to resolve theproblem for your return flight.

Youemailed FlightHubphotos of your passports. Unfortunately FlightHub couldn’tmodify your flight records in time for your return flight,but you were able to resolve thediscrepancy directly with Flybondi for your return flight —so, no need to buy asecond ticket to get back to Buenos Aires

Even after FlightHubadmitted that it screwed up, it still wouldn’t refund your tickets, arguing that they were nonrefundable.

Of course, they were nonrefundable —but you couldn’tuse them because of FlightHub’sbooking error

All it would have taken to get you arefund was for someone

at FlightHub to review your paper trail. If Ihad to guess, I’d say FlightHub is processing its customer service cases using artificial intelligence. But there’sno question aboutit, this was obviously aFlightHub mistake. Youmight have been able to bypass this nonsense. By escalating your case to FlightHub’sexecutivesusingthe executive contacts on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org, you might have gotten a quick resolution. Yousay you tried to do that, but no one responded. Icontacted FlightHub on your behalf.

“Upon reviewing the situation,weidentified that the issue stemmed from atechnical error on our end,” arepresentative told me. “The customer contacted us theday before their return flight

to request acorrection to their passport information. We promptly submitted the request to the airline, but the airline was able to assist the customer directly before they responded to us. FlightHub issued afull refund of your original flights plus a$100 voucher as agoodwill gesture, which you accepted. If there’salesson here, it’s never to assume your third-party booking site got it right. Always check your flight directly with the airline, and well in advance of your flight.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

HOLLYWOOD SOUTH

Film societytohonor LucindaWilliams, DarcyMcKinnon

Leslie Cardé

Louisiana-born singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Music in Film and New Orleansbased filmmaker Darcy McKinnon will receive the Lumière Awardasthe New Orleans Film Society gives out its highest honors at its Oct. 24 gala. This special night, part of the New Orleans Film Festival, supports the NOFS’s year-round independent filmmaker programs.

“This year’sfestival is packed with incredible parties, panels, and red-carpet premieres,and the gala is at the heart of it,” said Dodd Loomis, interim executive director of the New Orleans Film Society

The Lifetime Achievement Award for Music in Film honors artists whose work has left an indelible mark on both the art of cinema and theworld of music.

Lucinda Williams epitomizes these qualities with her compositions and contributions to a plethora of films, including her most recent soundtrack productions on “Riff Raff” with Ed Harris and Jennifer Coolidge, and “It Ends with Us” with Blake Lively, which just scratches the surface of her work on 68 soundtracks.

Williams has spent morethan four decades at her craft, releasing 14 acclaimed albums and earning three Grammy Awards, including wins for “Car Wheels on aGravel Road,” and the songs “Passionate Kisses” and “Get Right with God.” She wasnamed Time magazine’sSongwriter of the Year in 2001. Her returnto hergritty blues roots has longtimefans cheering.

The Lumière Award takes its name from the brothers who were early innovators of cinema, but the word lumière also means “light” in French. This award is about the light that is not only used to shape images, but to shine alight on the world’sissues which need to be illuminated.

Darcy McKinnonisa veteran filmmakerand producer whose work focuses on theAmerican South and the Caribbean. Her priorfilm projects include “A King LikeMe,” “Commuted,” the winner of theNew Orleans Film Festival Audience Awardand Best Louisiana Documentary,and her Emmy-nominated “The Neutral Ground.”

Her most recentfilm, “Natchez” with directorSuzannah Herbert, wasawardedthe Jury Prizefor Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be shown at this year’sNew Orleans Film Festival.

“I’mveryinterested in telling stories aboutthe pressing issues which make theSouth unique,” said McKinnon. “Just as importantly,Iwantpeople in theSouth to tell their own stories,rather than have others tell them for us. When that happens, therecan be alot of misinterpretation.Iam very proud to be receiving the LumièreAward because Ihave awarmplace in my heart for all that NOFShas done in cultivating this filmmaking community.The

educational training programs theyoffer are largely responsible for many filmmakers now making aliving in this profession.“

The societyannounced on Mon-

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, the New Orleans Film Society has announced that Amy Schumer will no longer be receiving the NOFS Celluloid Hero Award,” astatementfrom thesociety said, in atextmessage. Theannual Celluloid Hero award honors prominentmembers of the film industry witha spotlight on Louisianafilm. Previous honorees include Patricia Clarkson, Bryan Batt, JohnGoodman and Matthew McConaughey. Schumer,her husbandChris Fischer and theirson have a house in NewOrleansthatwas profiled in May in astory on the homeand garden websiteHomeworthy.Schumer couldnot be reached forcomment.

Thegala’sawards ceremony at TheCivic Theater in New Orleans will be preceded by the patron party,presented by Liberty Bank and hosted by Welsh singer-songwriter JudithOwen whospends much of her time at her French Quarter residence, when she’snot in Great Britain. This pre-party is expected to exceed all expectations. If you’re imagining schmoozing withcocktails and canapes, you’re in fora real surprise.

“Friends of mine on the Board, whoare familiar withthe Christmas Show that Harry (husband, Harry Shearer) andIdo, asked me to put on an exciting piece of entertainment thisyear,” said Owen. “So, this will be an awards show withareal appreciation for New Orleans and itscinematic history.Along withhonoring somewonderful people,this will be highlyentertaining.”

No spoilers here, but could there be bits of classicmovies thrownin, and even somesinging?

Mum’s the wordfrom Owen,as the element of surprise is always fun, but she says to expect the unexpected.

Afulllistofpanels, workshops, filmschedules, parties and events, is now online at neworleansfilmsociety.org.Individual tickets plus all-access passes, virtual passes and tickets to thegala are now on sale on the website.

day thatactor and comedian Amy Schumer would receive theOctober 2025Celluloid Hero award, but on Wednesday afternoon that honor was abruptly retracted

Email Leslie Cardéat lesliecardejournalist@gmail. com.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

The NewOrleans Film Society will giveLucindaWilliams aLifetime AchievementAward for MusicinFilm at its upcoming gala.

DarcyMcKinnon is aveteran filmmaker and producer whose work focuses on the AmericanSouth

Gaines Awardwinner‘talksacrosstime’ in debutnovel

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

To honor celebrated Louisiana

writerErnest Gaines,the Baton Rouge Area Foundation presents one of the most prestigiousliteraryprizes given to Black American writers, the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. The award serves to inspireand recognize rising African American fiction writers of excellence at a national level.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation willgive the 18th annual honor to Essie Chambersfor her novel “Swift River”at6:30 p.m Oct. 21, at the ManshipTheatre at the Shaw Center,100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge. Community members can attend the event by registering at ernestjgainesaward.org/rsvp.

The book award, initiated by donorsofthe Baton Rouge Area Foundation, comes witha monetary award of $15,000 to support and enablethe writer to focus on their craft.

From SwiftRiver to the MississippiRiver Chambers’ debut novel features teenagerDiamond Newberry as she navigates the summer of 1987 in her hometown of SwiftRiver, Massachusetts. Set in aforgotten mill town, the book acknowledges ahaunted place where industry has died, Chamberssays Diamond is the only Black girl in arural town, and she lives with her White mother.They are both ostracized, harassed and mocked for being “other” in the town. Then, Diamond receives aletter from alost cousin who was close to her father.Through this connection, Diamond learns about the strong Blackwomen who came beforeher,helping establish a rootedness and confidence which shapes her character.Through letters and flashbacks, Chambers

weaves amultigenerational tale of trauma and resilience. She illustrates aplace where people are suffering, struggling and haunted bythe former industry and its remnants, but thetown still has ariver running through it. Chambers says that it’s the right setting for astoryabout a family and agirlwho are haunted by past trauma.

‘The greatest honorofmylife’ Massachusettsnative Chambers hadasuccessful career in television andfilm production,includingproducingthe award-winning

2022 documentary,“Descendant,” but writing anovel was her earliest and mostpersistent dream.

She says “Swift River” took 10 years to write andchanged as she changed through the years.

“I had this wonderful creative job,and Ihelped other people tell their stories, but Iwas neglecting my own story,” Chambers said. “I really wrotearound the edges of my life. The story came to me in pieces. Ithink thecharacters were always with me, but it didn’t come together until Icommitted myself to being awriter ” Chambers expresses gratitude

‘Talking across time’

The judging panel forthe Ernest J. Gaines Award is comprised of poets, professors, short story writers and novelists. Anthony Grooms, Edward P. Jones, Opal Moore, Francine Prose and Patricia Towers read many submissions this year,but “Swift River” wasthe consensus winner Moore, apoet and retired literature professor from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, says “SwiftRiver” resonated with her because of the three interlocking stories told through letters and flashbacks.

and humility when it comes to being apartofthe distinguished community of Ernest Gaines award winners.

For her,though, the award is really apush to keep going and to keep writing.

“Mr.Gaines had such aprofound impact on me as areader and awriter,sotobepart of his legacy and join this community of writers who Iadmire so deeply,it is the greatest honor of my life,” she said. “There’ssomething so beautiful aboutbeing honored, not just for the book, but formy promise as awriter,and it feels like an investment in the person I’m going to becomeand the future stories that I’mgoing to tell. Andit’sjust the mostgenerous kind of encouragement and motivation.”

Chambers’ narrative voice is clear and direct in “SwiftRiver,” yet she integrates moments of poetry and fantasy into her prose. There is arichness in the language that imbues the story with depthand substance.

Chambers will visit Baton Rouge andobserve another town that ariver runs through.

“You have these women talking across time, and that’ssuch a great subject because, no matter what we do, it’svery difficult for manypeople to take their imagination beyond the era that they’re living in,” Moore said. “I felt like that was areally powerful wayto talk about how women find each other —how younger womenfind these stories of older women. Their story seemssoremote until you live with them foramoment.” Moore also appreciated how the characters in “SwiftRiver” represented the ways Black people came through time, working toward things forupcoming generations, but those sacrifices and stories often aren’tseen by the descendants.

She noted that Chambers captured the important workthat is necessary in figuring out who came before us.

Another appeal of “SwiftRiver” was the engaging storytelling. Moore says the storytelling has manydoors forpeople to enter into it —through alove story,a mother/daughter relationship, asearch forracial identity or a journey to discover your heritage. Moore will facilitate the conversation with Chambers at the Ernest J. Gaines Award forLiterary Excellence presentation on Oct. 21 at the Manship Theatre. For moreinformation, visit ernestjgainesaward.org.

Email Joy Holdenatjoy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

N.O. bookshop areminderofhow fun readingcan be

On the last Saturday of August, Ibegan my morning with The New York Times, which carried yet another story about the decline of reading across the country Over the past two decades, the share of Americans who read for pleasure fell 40%, as The Times reported. It’sasobering trend witha lot of potential implications forthe future. Reading has many social benefits, and our connectionswith each other can grow weaker when fewer of us find the common ground that books often provide. But civic engagement wasn’t the first thing Ithought about afterreading The Times’ story Instead, while mulling over the prospect of thoselegionsof nonreaders out there, Iworried about all the fun they’re missing. Fun was topofmind that day because my wife and Iwere planning aweekend drivetothe French Quarter,where our first stop wasBeckham’sBookshop, a longtime Decatur Street destination for those in search of vintage volumes.

I’d first visited Beckham’s in 1990,picking up an 1858 edition of “The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table” by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Steve and Katrina Lacy bought Beckham’sfrom Carey Beckham and Alton Cook last year.Steve

has operated nearby Dauphine Street Books, which sells old and new titles, since 1994.

“I had often thought how wonderful it would be to buy Beckham’s,” Steve told me.“We find that we’redoing pretty well so far.”

On an upper floor of Beckham’s Katrinahas been developing MadameLacy’s Retreat as acommunity gatheringplace. It recently hosted ayoga program, and other plans are in the works. But books have been thestar of Beckham’s since it opened many years ago, andthattradition is continuing with the Lacys Theshop’stall windows and high ceilings create an open feel that brightens thebrowsing experience, though visitors might have to walk aroundJoni, the shop feline. Ifoundher napping by ahistory shelf, decoratingthe space likeathrow rug.

“Wesay she’sthe real owner,” Steve mentioned. While huntingfor another volumeofVirginia Woolf’s diaries, I foundinstead“TheJourney Not

theArrival Matters,”a memoir by Woolf’s husband, Leonard, about their life together.Myodyssey to find somemedical essays by Oliver Sacks brought another happy accident when Ispotted “The PatientHas the Floor,” acollection of speeches by one of my favorite writers, Alistair Cooke.

Spying acopy of Patrick Leigh Fermor’s “A Time of Gifts” made me feel even luckier I’d loved “A Time to Keep Silence,” his account of visits to European monasteries, and I knew this other Old World travelogue would be just as good. Ialso nabbed “At Homeand Abroad,” a

collection of travel pieces by V.S. Pritchett, an English author I’ve cherished foryears.

I’msorry that fewerpeople are reading these days. They really don’tknow what they’re missing. Email Danny Heitman at danny@ dannyheitman.com

PHOTO By CATHERINE HEITMAN

Steve Lacy and his wifeKatrina bought Beckham’sBookshop in 2024. Steve Lacyisholding acopyofSusan Larson’s‘The Booklover’sGuidetoNew Orleans.’

PROVIDED PHOTO

Essie Chambers is the author of ‘Swift River’ and winner of the 2025 ErnestJ.Gaines Award for LiteraryExcellence.

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

Gaines

Button King’s legacy livesoninquirkyS.C.museum

BY JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press

BISHOPVILLE,S.C. When J.D.

Stevens flips on the lightsin the shed by his South Carolina home, he feels the presence of his dad, who died nearly adecade ago. He also sees hundreds of thousands of buttons.

They are sewn onto the original button suit on the mannequin that started it all.

Nearby is the Chevrolet Chevette covered in buttons of all colors, big and small. There’sawalk-in outhouse with atoilet covered in buttons and apiano with buttons everywhere but the keys. There’sabutton-covered hearse not too far from the coffin where white buttons stand out from all the rest, spelling out “BUTTON KING.”

Dalton Stevens startedon the road to become the Button King one night in 1983 while battling insomnia and, after retiring, afeeling of worthlessness and withdrawal from the world. He got an epiphany to start sewing buttons onto adenim suit because, as he said, “television went off at two in the morning back then.”

Back in the 1980s, one didn’ttrend to the top overnight. Once Stevens finished theoriginal button suit,a tiny newspaper in Bishopville wrote astory

Then the local TV station did its own package. Stevens kept sewing and gluing buttons and oncehe finished covering the entire Chevette there was asecond local TV story picked up by that fledgling all-news network CNN. National attention grew after he wasfeatured in magazines. Oneday the phone rang in his Bishopville home. It was “The Tonight Show StarringJohnny Carson.” Carson made it apoint not to see Stevens in 1987

before he walkedontothe stage, wearing asuit covered in16,333 buttons everywhere butthe butt and the back of the thighs. Carson laughedatthe sight. Stevens thensanga little ditty while playing his 3,005-button guitar

“If you like the color of my clothes, wouldyou give me buttonsinstead of arose,”Stevens sang with hisSouth Carolina twang. “Buttons can be square or

“Once youmakeittothe

Johnny Carson show one time, that’sabout as bigas youcan getwithout being in themovies. That was high for an old country boy like me,” Stevens told South Carolina Educational Television in an early 2000s interview Life was neverthe same He wasontalk shows hosted by DavidLetterman, Regis Philbin and KathieLee Gifford and Geraldo Rivera.

Eventually theButton King finished all his folk art pieces andneeded aplace to store them. With his family’shelp he built ashed on his land and called it the “S.C. Button Museum.” From the start, it’sbeen open to thepublic 24/7. Af-

terStevens diedin2016 his son kept his promise to keep the museum open

“It makes me feelgood because it’sdaddy’sstuff, you know.” J.D. Stevens said, remembering acouple who visited from Pennsylvania and smiled while looking around the small shed. Nine yearsafterthe Button King died, people still visit.

J.D. Stevens will greet them if he’shome. If not, theycan just flip on the lights themselves and look around. Theguestbook shows about adozen visitors over the past month. It’s almost exactlyasthe ButtonKing left it —all the way down to the board with nails where he hung 25 buttons at atime to keep count andplanhis artprojects. The buttons aren’t as vibrant as they once were. And the Stevens family has added extra buttons to the wallsasdecoration. Butitis mostly thesame. Oneitem is missingthough—the secondcasketStevens made. He’s buriedinthatone beside his wife, Ruby,who died eightyears before him.

“He was an entertainer, youknow,”J.D.Stevens said. “He liked to entertain people except for that period where he hadwithdrawn, but he lovedtomake people laugh andsowhenhesaw somebody smiled and it was on.”

DearAnnie: Families Anonymous could be agreat help to many of the peoplewho write in to you. The program is most often associated with families dealing with loved ones who struggle with addiction, but Idiscovered it has value in many other situations as well.

Ifirst attended Families Anonymous because Iwas overwhelmed with anxiety about my son not finding employment after graduating from college. Ispent sleepless nights worrying, replaying every possibility and trying to solve something that was not mine to fix. Through Families Anonymous meetings and literature, Ibegan to understand that Icould not control his choices or outcomes. What Icould control was my own peace of mind andhow Ichoseto respond. The lessons were simple but powerful.Bytrying to manage his life, Iwas not helping him, and Iwas only hurting myself. Letting go of that unproductive worry gave me freedom and strength. It also allowed me to show up for my son with calm support instead of constant fear Even if in-person meetings are not available nearby, Families Anonymous offers books and pamphlets that can be ordered online. For anyone weighed down by the struggles of loved ones, this program provides comfort and tools for healthier living. —FamilyAnonymous Dear FamilyAnonymous: Thank you for sharing this resource. Families Anonymous

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByJEFFREy COLLINS

Dalton Stevens’ button hearse is on displayinhis museum in Bishopville, S.C.

father,apreacher,toPine Bluff, Arkansas. Bittenbythe bluesbug,heaspired to reach Chicago, but lacked the$8.75 required fora train ticket.

He scraped up enoughtoget to Memphis,Tennessee, where he made $5 aweek buskingon Beale Street. He moved on to East St. Louis, Missouri, and finally earned enough to propel himself to Chicago, theblues Mecca, home to such heroes as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon andT-Bone Walker

“If Iget to Chicago,” he thought, “I’m in heaven

“But when Igot to Chicago, that’swhen Ifoundmyself playing behind acurtain.

With segregation still in effect, he got agig at aWhite club.

“The White audience wanted to hear my music but didn’t want to see my face. Sothey put up acurtain.”

Eventually,Rush won over the club’sowner,who agreedto let the band step out for abrief bow

“The first time we didit, they booedmeand the band. The next night, he put acurtain in front of the band,and another curtaininfront of me. So when Itook abow,you’d only see me —you wouldn’tsee the band. That softened the blow alittle bit. They didn’tboo as much.”

Looking back, “I laugh about it, because God has let me be aroundlong enough to see change.A lotofthingshave changed, but I’m afraid so many things remain the same.

“I thank God every daythat I was able to come up outofthat situation and do what I’m doing now.”

Confrontinghis history

In the 1980s, he made apilgrimage to Jackson, Mississippi,toconfronthis complicatedfamilytree. Hisgreatgrandmotheronhis mother’s sidewas aslave who gave birth to six children fathered by the plantation owner Rush resolved to meet one of his great-aunts, adescendant from theWhite side of the lineage.

“I had rocks in my jawabout what Iwas going to say toher,” he recalled. He knocked on the door and introduced himself by his real name, EmmettEllis Jr

“You’re one of Mattie’skids, aren’tyou?” the elderly woman said, referring to Rush’smixedrace mother.She then broke down in tears.

“She didn’tdeny what had happened,” Rush said.“From the moment Iwalked in her house, my mind wasmade up that Iwouldn’tgoback to Chicago.”

He movedtoJackson and delved deeper into his history.

He learned that his great-grandfatherhad intended to divide his land among allhis children. But after his death, the Black childrenwerebanished to Eu-

dora,Arkansas.

“That’show my dad metmy mom,” Rush said.“My dadwas Louisiana.Mymom was from theMississippi roots.”

That Rush’smother’sskinwas much lighter than his father’s complicated things.

“Mydad hadtobethe chauffeur to my mom, because she looked like this Whitewoman he shouldn’tbewith.Mymom was my ‘babysitter’ alot of times she couldn’tbemymom.” Rush reconciled withhis heritage. He “untangleditwithin my heart and head.”

He is proud that he launched his career on the “chitlin circuit” of Black clubs and honkytonks.

“I’m known as theking of the chitlincircuit. Butthat was the only place we hadtowork.I cameuplikeFatsDomino, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin’ Hopkins. We all

came up on the chitlin circuit side, but later on we managed to cross over

“My motto was, Iwanted to cross over,but Inever wanted to cross out.I wanted to cross over to abigger audience

White, Black, green, brown, whatever —but Ididn’twant to cross out as aBlack man to my Black audience.”

Overthe years, Rush has heard “young Black mentalking behind closed doors saying, ‘I’m going to record this because Ithink Whitepeople gonna like this. I’m gonna record this because Ithink this is what Black people like.’

“I recordgoodmusic and hope everyone likes it.It’snot a Black and White issue with me. Music erases alot of things and links us together.”

Which is one reason he made the “Young Fashioned Ways” album with Shepherd, who is White.

“Wecan make astatement to thewhole worldthatpeople should do what we are doing. Get together regardless of the color of your skin and make good music,” he said.

Thevampire situation

The blues, to Rush, is a bother-ation’onyourmind. Something on your mind that’s botheringyou that youcan’tdo anything about.”

Hisstrategy for staying active is “needmore. When you need more money,need more work.

“I laugh about that, but I’m just blessed. God hasgivenme the gift to be around. Ihave 439 recordsthat I’verecorded through theyears. Ican rememberatleast 350 of them right now.”

He won his first Grammy

Ilove and care about, because I want the people to have the best of me. Iwant to give up something that meant something to me,because Imean something to them.”

Whenhewas askedtoplay harmonica on the soundtrack of writer/director Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” which is set in the Mississippi Deltain1932 and stars Michael B. Jordan, Rush didn’t fully realize what theplot entailed.

“The guy had told me about the vampire situation.Hesaid, ‘Thishas alittle vampirething in it.’

“I knew the movie was about thehardtimes andstruggle with themusicians in theMississippi Delta. But Icouldn’tfigure out what that had to do with the vampires.

Award at age 83 for an album called“Porcupine Meat.” The titlesong wasnot meant to be taken literally

“I was talking about aman being in love with awoman, and he knows he loves her more than she loves him.Hewants to leave, but he dare not leave because he knows somebody else gonna gethis love, and he’d be sorry.That’sporcupine meat it’s too fat to eat and too lean to throwaway: ‘I know she don’t love me, but man, Ilike what she do to me.’

He’ssincewon two more Grammysfor best traditional blues album. The Grammy Museum Mississippi in Cleveland, Mississippi, displays oneofhis purple suits.

Why did he hand over such a sharp suit?

“Cause Igot alot of ’em,” he said.“Igive up the things that

“I joked, ‘It’sOK. Ihad this girl bit me on theneck when I was ayoung man,and Iliked it. So avampire can’tbetoo bad.’” WhenRushfinally saw the finished film,hewas “shocked. (But) it was so clever.Itwas a clever writer that wrote this. The racial thing inside it reminds me of my life,almost like playing behind the curtain.”

Making sure such Black history in general, and the blues in particular,isnot erased is essential to him

“The blues is the root of all music. It’s the mother of all music.Ifyou don’tlike the blues, youprobablydon’t like your mama.”

At 91, he’sstill out there representing it, giving it his all every time.

“If you cometosee my show, youmay say, ‘I don’tlikeol’ Bobby Rush. But damn, he good.’” Email KeithSpera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By KEITHSPERA

in

PROVIDED IMAGE

The coverofLouisiana bluesmanBobbyRush’s autobiography, ‘I Ain’t Studdin’ ya:MyAmerican Blues Story’

STAFFFILE PHOTOBySCOTT THRELKELD

Bluesman BobbyRush kicks up his heels as he performs withKennyWayne Shepherd in the Blues Tent during the 2025 NewOrleans Jazz& Heritage Festival.

DOMAINIMAGE

EvaMarie Saint, from left, Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor stand on the cast-iron steps fronting Windsor Ruins near Port Gibson, Miss., during the 1956 filming of ‘RaintreeCounty.’ The cast andcrewstayedinNatchezand were supposed to film at Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville, but that part of the filming wascanceled.

CURIOUS

Continued from page1D

Louisiana, but did she ever

film any here?”

Didshe film in Louisiana?

Well, no. But she came close Taylor,along with fellow Hollywood legends Montgomery Clift and Eva Marie Saint, came to Natchez, Mississippi, for the 1956 filming of “Raintree County.” Natchez is directly across the Mississippi River from Vidalia, 60 miles north of St. Francisville on U.S. 61. Louisiana newspapers, including The Advocate’s afternoon sister paper, The State-Times, and The Times-Picayune sent photographers and reportersto the filming, most of which took place at Windsor Ruins, which stand along MississippiHwy.522, the same road that leads to Alcorn State University Alcorn figures into this story,because the ornate cast-iron stairs fronting the ruins, on which Taylor,Clift and Saint were both filmed and photographed, now lead to the front doors of Alcorn’sOakland Memorial Chapel.

Back in 1956, they still stood at what wouldhave been the entrancetoWindsor Plantation.

As for Windsor,its 12 Corinthian columns still stand. From 1861 to 1890, the mansion’sthree stories once overlooked the Mississippi River from a distance. It was destroyed by fire after aparty guest tossed alit cigar in the trash on Feb. 17, 1890.

The ruins are now maintained as ahistoric site by the Mississippi State Department of Archives and History.The site was also used in the 1996 film “Ghosts of Mississippi.”

Back to “Raintree County,” Edward Dmytryk directed the MGM Civil War epic love triangleamong John Wickliff Shawnessy, played by Clift; his hometown sweetheart, Nell, played by Saint; and the irresistible New Orleans Southernbelle, Susanna Drake, played by Taylor

The story begins in Shawnessy’shome of Raintree County in Indiana, and it’s where he returns with a pregnant Susanna at the outbreak of the Civil War. The cast and crewstayed at the Natchez Eola Hotel during filming, and according to reporter-photographer Charles East’s Aug. 1, 1956, featurein The State-Times, filming was supposed to move to Rosedown Plantation in St.

Francisville afterward but was canceled

ElizabethTaylorinN.O

Butthat doesn’tmean Taylornever spent time in Louisiana. She was a frequent visitor to New Orleans, often stayingat theAudubon Cottages at 509 Dauphine St. in the French Quarter.

“She stayed here 27 times,” said Shawn Gray, the boutiquehotel’smanager.“Shealways stayed in cottageNo. 3.”

Audubon Cottages, built in the late 18th century, once were home to ornithologist, naturalist andpainter JohnJames Audubon and nowoperate as an intimate cottage-style hotel retreat in the French Quarter

“All cottages havetheir own private courtyards,” Gray said. “AndI think that’sprobably oneofthe bighits for stars, because they don’thavetointeract with anybody. Once you walk into the alleyway,you can gointo yourcottage, andyou can close theentrance door to your cottage andclose the entrance door to your courtyard.”

Gray said actress Kathy Bates recently stayed at Audubon Cottages.

The hotel hasn’t marked cottageNo. 3with abrass plaque or any other kind of commemoration of Taylor’s stay,but its websitedoes noteher preference for the cottage.

Taylor’sname remains bigatAudubon Cottages, just as it is in Hollywood history.

ForSwifties still searching “Who is Elizabeth Taylor?” on Google, shewas born onFeb.27, 1932, to socially prominentAmerican parentsinLondon,England

Her first starring role was at age12in“National Velvet,” opposite a24-year-old MickeyRooney She wouldmoveonto adulthood to star in such iconic films as“Giant,” opposite James Dean in 1956; Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on aHot TinRoof,” opposite Paul Newmanin1958; “Butterfield 8” in 1960 opposite herfourthhusband,Eddie Fisher; the epic “Cleopatra,” opposite her fifth husband,Richard Burton, in 1963; Edward Albee’s “Who’sAfraid of Virginia Woolf,” again co-starring with Burton in 1966; and “The Sandpiper,” again opposite Burton in 1967. And as mentioned in the lyrics of Swift’ssong,Taylor did, indeed, have violet eyes. Laterinlife, shemaintained afriendship with the KingofPop Michael Jackson, and sheco-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research in 1985 and

HALLOWEEN

Continuedfrom page1D

theElizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991.

Outsideofher movies and philanthropy,she was constantly pursued by the paparazzi through her eight marriages, which included twice to Burton. She died in 2011 at age 79. Andnow,thanks to Swift her name—and her legend —are trending once again.

Do you have aquestion about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your questionto curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and thecitywhere you live.

surrounded theneighborhood. The streetswere silent in ways that they should not be. There was no calliope song echoing off the old buildings, no rhythm from an approaching brass band, no clopping from horse-drawn carriages, but thepeople of the Quarter,being rebellious at heart, had been determined. Public safety that evening wasprovidedbytwo forces: the Puerto RicanNational Guard, whose troops patrolledand steered Humvees overthe oldstreets, and adelegation from the NewYork State Police dressedinnonthreatening pullovershirts. Neither had serious crime to worry about;the locals were insteadtrying harder than ever to have agoodtime. We were still refugees, living at arelative’shouse in the central Louisiana town of Marksville, near Alexandria.Some friends hadofferedusa place to stayinthe Quarter forthe Halloweenweekend. What Iremember most about thatevening was going to aparty near the Garden District, and while there feeling thebeginnings of acold. On the way back to theQuarter,I wanted to stop at astore for cold medicine, but as we bumped along St. Charles Avenue, nothing was open and it was not yet 10 in the evening. Ithought to myself thatback in Marksville

there wasacasino, gas station and Walmart, all open 24 hours. There would be more retail places to go to there that night than in all of NewOrleans. Along the avenue, the fallen city seemed so sad. Notsointhe Vieux Carre, where the sidewalks were now glittered with the confetti of an impromptu Halloween street parade. Less manpower wasneeded to open bars than to run arestaurant, so the drink joints were busy.The pathways were festive with monsters of various sorts. There was amood that reminded me of Mardi Gras 1979. Avery bitter police strike had caused all the parades in New Orleans to be canceled that year.Bythe morning of Mardi Gras, there was little lefttocancel, so there wasnothing lefttodobut enjoy the day.Once again, there were no city police; instead protection was provided by the Louisiana National Guard and State Police, both of whom were challenged not to be seduced by the celebration.

Someofthe young National Guard troopers saw sights that basic training had not prepared them for. There is aspirit that runs loose in the Quarter and that captivates its people, especially in the face of hard times. Those soldiers from Puerto Rico and troopers from New York must have had lots of stories to tell about Halloween in New Orleans. Surely,they realized that it is hard to keep agood city down. That would be an es-

pecially important lesson forthe visiting National Guardsmen. In 2012, New York would experience both arare East Coast cyclone and Halloween at the same time. Crossing over from NewJersey,Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 29-30 flooded part of NewYork City before pummeling upstate. On Sept. 20, 2017, Puerto Rico would be ravaged by Hurricane Maria. San Juan, the capital city,has much of the character and charm of New Orleans. They are both quaint, picturesque port cities developed by the Spanish. Both experience the joys and threats of the tropics. For the National Guard units whohad come to help us, unaware of what the future would bring, NewOrleans at least prepared them to see the fervor of recovery Before heading back to Marksville the next afternoon, we joined some friends forapicnic among the tombs at Metairie Cemetery.Asper tradition, All Saints Day,like Ash Wednesday,isanhonored celebration where the rituals of lifeand death are so entwined. First, however,came the celebrating. Only two months after the levees broke, there had been a parade Halloween night in the French Quarter.Come both hell and high water Errol Labordeisa producer andpanelist on WYES Channel 12’s “Informed Sources.” Contact him at elabordenola@gmail.com.

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,Oct. 12, the 285th day of 2025. There are 80 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Oct. 12, 2002, bombsblamed on al-Qaida-linked militants destroyed two nightclubs on the Indonesian island of Bali, killing 202 people, many of whom were foreign tourists.

Also on this date:

In 1492, Christopher Columbus’s first expedition made landfall on what is now San SalvadorIslandin the Bahamas.

In 1870, Gen. Robert E. Lee, former overall commander of theConfederate States Army in theCivil War, died in Lexington, Virginia, at age 63.

In 1960, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev protested remarks at the United Nations by pounding his shoe on his desk.

In 1968, Mexican track andfield

athlete Enriqueta Basiliobecame the first woman to light theOlympic flame at the opening ceremonies of the Mexico City Summer Games.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon nominated House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford of Michigan to succeed Spiro T. Agnew as vice president.

In 1984, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher escaped an attempt on her life when an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded at a hotel in Brighton, England, killing five people.

In 2000, the destroyer USSCole was attackedbyboat-bornealQaida suicide bombers duringa refueling stopinYemen’sport city of Aden, killing 17 on board

In 2019, Eliud Kipchogebecame the first person to run amarathon in less than two hours,crossing the finish line of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria, witha time of 1:59:40.

Today’sbirthdays: NASCAR Hallof Famer Ned Jarrett is 93.Broadcast journalist Chris Wallace is 78. Singer-songwriter Jane Siberry is 70. Actor Hiroyuki Sanada is 65. Jazz musician Chris Botti is 63. Actor Hugh Jackman is 57. Country musician Martie Maguire (The Chicks) is 56. Actor Kirk Cameron is 55 Olympic gold medal skier Bode Miller is 48. Actor Josh Hutcherson is 33.

Just writethe darn thank-younotes,already

Dear Miss Manners: What do you do when the dutyto write thank-you notes overwhelms any genuine sense of gratitude?

In my own upbringing, reciprocity and eagerness to give were prized over the finerpointsofexpressing gratitude, and I confess that my gratitude muscle has suffered as a result.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Iamtrying to strengthen it by practicing writing thankyou cards, startingwithlarge events, such as my wedding and baby shower

Theendeavor has now lasted a couple of years, and Istill have not finished with the thank-yous for either one.

Meanwhile, other holidays, birthdays and events have come and gone, and while Idotry to thank each gift-giver verbally whether in person or on the phone, writing notes for each

gift just seems liketoo much to be done during an already busy phaseof life. This is alsousually immediately following atime of upheaval due to planning, gift shopping of my own and major life changes.I am already exhausted, and the condition of my home is suffering for it

On top of this, Istill try to give to others what Ican of my time, love, energy and resources, as Iwas raised to do. It seems like there is not time or energy left in the day to write.

Iammost concerned about thetask becomingabitter chore and source of anxiety,crushing any real gratitude. How do you manage thetask so that the expressions are genuine? Or is this adifficultyyou have not encountered?

Gentle Reader: It is clear to Miss

Manners thatyou can, in fact, manage to pena heartfelt and genuine letter. Because you took three paragraphs to insist that your life is busier and more exhausting thanthose of the people who took the time to give you apresent. Youwill be relievedtohear that agood thank-you letter need only costyou abouthalf that space andenergy Dear MissManners: I’m afairly new motherofone child. After working hard to clear my work schedule and afford afamily vacation, we’re finally here! Theissue is all the other parents. Everytime Igraba cocktail and head to an expansive lawn to toss aballtoour dogorkick aball to my daughter, four or five otherkids descend. Iwould love nothing more than for my daughter to find aplaymate, but it seemsthatIjust end up running playtime

Findingwaystoadd pops of

coffee maker —A Reader,via email

Gentle Reader: As soon as the childrenstart descending, look around forparents —orloudly askthe childrenwhere they are. (If the childrenare not oldenough to respond, just get louder.)

Oncethe parents have been located,say to the kids, “You might want to tell your parents thatyou arehere, because I’m notsure howlongwewill stay And we don’twanttoabandon you.”

Thatlastpart, Miss Manners feels certain, will put the parents on high alert—that they should eithercollect their childrenquickly or be prepared to take over playtime.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners to heremail, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: Jane, in Virginia, mentioned that all the colors are thesame with furniture: gray, white and beige! Avery simple and inexpensive way to get pops of color is with throw pillows, colored glass jars, and artwork. Lotsofstores offer these items at great prices instead of your having to pay for asofa or chair in alimited color or print. Plus, the color themes can bechangedthis way —Kathy N., in Montgomery,Texas Swab thedoor

Dear Heloise: I’ve discovered a greatuse forcotton swabs. Iuse them to clean the very narrow rubber crevices on our refrigerator door.Itworks great in onesweep with alittle vinegar or water Also, Iuse them to clean small moving parts in my single-brew

ADVERTISEMENT

Raisingaproperpuppy

Dear Heloise: We got anew puppy, and she’ssocute!

Butwewant her to be friendly and not timid or afraid. So, we are socializing her alittle bit every day

We takeher out to meet other dogs and people at the park. Not for too long—maybe an hour at most. —BrittanyB., in Texas

Brittany, this is agreat way to introduce your pup to socialization!Kudos to you. —Heloise Sunscreen101

Dear Heloise: With thesun out and more people getting active outdoors, can you give us the411 on sunscreen? —David E. in Kentucky David, I’d be happy to do so! Not using sunscreen can potentially damage your skin and lead to wrinkling, sagging and worse. Be sure to apply asunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor)of15orhigher about 15 min-

utes before you go outside.

How much to apply? The average-sized person needs about an ounce (a shot glass size) of sunscreen. Cover your face (avoid your eyes) andbody.Don’t forget your ears, your neck, the backs of your hands, and the topsofyour feet.

Other sun-safety suggestions?

Stay indoors during peak hours (10 a.m.-2 p.m.), wear lip balm, and cover exposed skin as much as possible. Afloppy hat is not a bad idea either —Heloise Sour bottle smells

Dear Heloise: If your baby’sbottle has afoulsmell, try filling it with warm water and 2teaspoons of baking soda, then shake vigorously.Leave it overnight. The next morning, just wash as usual. —Bonnie T.,inBeaverCreek, Colorado Getitinwriting

Dear Heloise: My wife said that women routinely are given high car-repair estimates, which are

saddled with unnecessary repairs, and they have been upsold unknowingly

My hint is to always get awritten estimate before any work is done and makesure that it is signed by you and the shop. If you have any questions, show the estimate to aknowledgeable friend, or get asecond estimate at another shop. —Dave, in Waco, Texas Aquick Latinlesson

Dear Readers: If you’re applying forajob, especially in the medical field, you may come upon the term “pro re nata,” or “PRN.” But what does it mean? It’s Latin, and it translates to “as needed” or “as necessary.” Youmay also see this term on aprescription bottle, which meanstotake the medicine as needed. Confirm this with your doctor —Heloise Send ahinttoheloise@heloise com.

Why you need dental insurance in retirement.

Many Americans arefortunate to have dentalcoverage fortheir entire working life, through employer-providedbenefits. Whenthose benefits end with retirement, payingdental billsout-of-pocketcan come as ashock, leading people to put off or even go without care.

Simply put—without dental insurance, there maybe an importantgap in your healthcare coverage

When you’re comparingplans.

 Look forcoverage that helps pay formajor services.Some plans may limit thenumber of procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoverage with no deductibles.Some plans may require you to payhundredsout of pocket beforebenefits are paid.

 Shop forcoverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits.Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1 That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meanttocover everything.That means if you wantprotection, you need to purchaseindividualinsurance.

Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones.

The best way to preventlarge dental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkupstwiceayear

Previous dental work canwear out.

Even if you’ve had quality dental work in the past, you shouldn’t takeyour dental health forgranted. In fact, your odds of havingadental problem only go up as you age.2

Treatmentisexpensive— especially the servicespeopleover 50 often need. Consider these national average costs of treatment. $222 fora checkup $190 fora filling $1,213 fora crown.3 Unexpected bills like this can be areal burden, especially if you’re on afixed income.

fora FREE Information Kit!

‘LIVING THE DREAM’ AND SPLITTING THECOST

left,and

and

kitchen with fellowhomeownersACand KenKabukuru. The twocouples jointly

double on Constantinople Street in NewOrleans with each occupying oneside

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Miriam Belblidia loved her palepinkand blue house in New Orleans’ HolyCross neighborhood. But in 2022, after seven years there, she decided she wanted to be closer to the action, alittle farther upriver in Faubourg Marigny At the time, Belblidia’s friends, Thom Smith and Claire Mehling, were renting half of ashotgun doubleinthe Marigny when they learned the place wasgoing up for sale,possibly putting their living situationinjeopardy

Thesolutionthe threefriends foundto solve their twin challenges was once rare but has becomemore common: They pooled their money andbought the North RampartStreet house together,splitting thedown payment and monthly mortgage in half.

With helpfrom theirreal estate agentand title company,the three homebuyers all signed theirnames to the mortgagedocuments,taking shared ownership of the home —and they inked a“prenup” agreement of sorts thatlaid out ground rules that aren’t typicalfor ahome loan. When they closed their loan in May 2022, they were ahead of the curve of what has become anational trend. In 2024, nearly15% of homebuyers purchased their homewith afriend or relative who wasn’ta romantic partner.Buying this waymeans each buyerpaysonlya percentage of the downpayment and makes it easier to put down the 20% requiredtoavoid private mortgageinsurance, whichcould save hundreds of dollars amonth. Over time, havingmultiplebuyersshare the costs of maintenance, insurance and

Mississippi Rivercompanies making deals, changing handsin-stateand out

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

New Orleans-based Bisso Towboat Co., afifth-generation family-owned business thatservices ocean-going vessels alongthe Mississippi River,has been purchased by Connecticut-based Moran Towing Corp., the latest of more than half adozen deals in the south Louisiana maritime industryin the past six months. Moran, whichhas afleetroughly

10 timesthe size of Bisso’s, will secure alargershare of theGulf Coastmarket throughthe acquisition.It has operated in New Orleans since 2006 and will now be better ableto“servethe growing needs of New Orleans and theLower Mis-

segment of the Louisiana economy. Seven deals have taken place in the localmaritime industry since March, including Bisso and Canal Barge, which both sold to larger firms headquartered out of state. Other transactions have been between in-statecompanies —like therecent purchase of HoumabasedAtlas Marine Services by Baton Rouge-based Loadstar Product Handling Service. And in some cases, locally based companies have been theones doing the buying. In June,Metairie’s Maritime Partners acquired a La.’smaritimesectorischurning ä See MARITIME, page 2E

STAFFPHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Julien Kyle-Rivière,

his husband, Brent, right, hang out

cookintheir

boughtashotgun

New Orleans

Mitchell Ervin has been selected as a new board member for the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. After launching his career as an intern with the foundation more than two decades ago, the New Orleans native is now a National Basketball Association official who has officiated more than 400 games over eight seasons.

Jeffrey Thibodeaux has been promoted to area director of operations by Taste Buds Management and Zea Rotisserie & Bar Thibodeaux, a New Orleans native, began his career as dishwasher and went on to work across four restaurants in five cities.

Jones Walker announced two new partners at the law firm’s New Orleans office. Stacey Goff has returned to the firm as a member of the corporate, securities and executive compensation team in the Corporate Practice Group and Katie Lasky has joined the bankruptcy and restructuring team in the litigation practice group.

Corey Jambon, Danielle Keller and Randy LeBeau are among the 31 new partners admitted this month by New York-based accounting firm EisnerAmper Baton Rouge

Patrick Kerr, the president and CEO of Baton Rouge Water has been tapped to serve as the board chair of the National Association of Water Cos. Kerr, a former U.S. Army officer, has previously served as the president of the American Water Works Association and as NAWC’s vice chair

Katherine Clements and Rachael Higginbotham were also named among the newly admitted partners at EisnerAmper Christopher McFarlain, a former tax auditor for the Louisiana Department of Revenue, also become a partner at EisnerAmper this month. He is based in Lafayette.

Do you have personnel changes to share or other ideas for our business coverage? Drop us a line at biztips@theadvocate.com

HOMES

Continued from page 1E

taxes can create significant savings, experts say

“This was an incredible opportunity that fell in our laps,” Smith said. “We didn’t think we could ever afford to buy a historic house with all these great features in the heart of the action. We solved it by having ‘multiple unmarried persons’ on the mortgage, which is a hilarious phrase.”

Setting ground rules

Increasingly this decade, millennial and Gen Z homebuyers have been eschewing the traditional path to equity common for Gen X, boomers and previous generations: a married couple buys a house, paints the picket fence white and lives in it as a traditional family unit.

Instead, young buyers are getting married later, postponing kids and devising novel solutions to increased costs of living and wages that haven’t kept up with inflation

That means they are more open to nontraditional approaches to buying a home, still one of the most proven strategies for building long-term wealth.

In a region of the country where sky-high insurance premiums add to challenges for homebuyers, Belblidia, Smith and Mehling are among those learning the power of pooling resources.

Three years in, the North Ram-

part Street home ownership experiment is going well, the group says, in no small part due to careful planning and good communication.

Smith and Mehling, who got married in 2023, have “semi-regular

meetings” with Belblidia to plan any repairs or discuss problems. They have a shared spreadsheet and an active group text thread to handle day-to-day issues. They have referred to their notarized coownership agreement from time to time. It covers big questions: Who’s responsible for maintenance? Who benefits from the increase in value if someone remodels a kitchen? What happens if one owner wants to sell?

“Anybody doing this will want to have everything in writing,” Belblidia said.

Like most owners of century-old New Orleans houses, the trio has had to spend thousands of dollars on upkeep over the last three years, including repairs to plumbing, exterior walls and the home’s foundation. They share responsibility for the property’s exterior and structural repairs but pay for interior renovations individually In some cases, they have decided not to split the cost three ways, but to recoup investments if and when the house is sold.

“We will cross that bridge when we get there,” Mehling said.

Smith, who was initially skeptical about the idea, said there were early challenges to getting the paperwork done because the system is largely designed for single homebuyers or romantic couples. Real estate agent Katie Witry, who has sold several houses to groups of friends, and Crescent Title helped make the deal happen.

Now, the three buyers have fallen into a rhythm that is both comfortable and comes with built-in advantages. They take care of each other’s pets, take turns scheduling and meeting with contractors and still enjoy socializing with one another

“We see each other several times a week, coming and going at the same time, or hanging out in the backyard,” Smith said.

From L.A. to La.

A few miles upriver from the North Rampart Street house, another group of friends is nearly three years into co-ownership of a shotgun double near the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Magazine Street

Judging by the festive atmosphere during a communal dinner earlier this week, the arrangement is paying off.

As one of the four homeowners chopped ingredients for chicken curry, others showed off the home’s new features, including a stylish new half bathroom, several pieces of restored furniture and a custombuilt pool out back surrounded by tropical foliage. On the kitchen floor, an oversized faux marble bust served as a conversation piece. Three well-behaved dogs enjoyed the commotion from beneath the kitchen island.

As the pandemic was winding down, the two couples Ken and AC Kabukuru, and Brent and Julien Kyle-Rivière decided to leave Los Angeles and make a new home base in New Orleans, using a job offer for Julien Kyle-Rivière as an excuse to start over in a more affordable city

“We always thought it would be a dream to get a place together but the prices in L.A. are high,” AC Kabukuru said. “We chose New Orleans because of its culture.”

The friends selected the Constantinople Street house for its floor plan and near-perfect “walkability score,” meaning it’s close to many restaurants, bars and stores. They

wanted to live close to each other but to have some level of independence and, especially, to have their own kitchens.

“We didn’t even know a double shotgun existed before this,” Ken Kabukuru said. “But this is exactly what we were looking for.”

The only way the deal could work for everybody is if they teamed up to buy the place together paying $595,000. Julien Kyle-Rivière was the first to move to the city, so the others gave him power of attorney

All four contributed to the 20% down payment and, because they were splitting it, were able to cover the entire amount. As a result, they have saved nearly $700 a month in private mortgage insurance payments.

They split the monthly mortgage and share expenses, including the cost of the new gutters and fence and a remodeled backyard.

“It makes it a lot easier to live the dream when you can split it four ways,” AC Kabukuru said. What they didn’t do was sign any extra paperwork.

“We just put our names on the title,” Kabukuru said. “It’s not an inexpensive house, so the mortgage is real. If someone was not able to pay, it would be a problem, but we’ve known each other for so long that we trust each other.”

Now the friends joke about adding a passageway in the wall that separates their kitchens so it will be easier to share ingredients when they’re cooking on their own.

Kabukuru said that, overall, there have been far more pros than cons.

“It’s been smooth sailing so far,” she said.

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

marine transport company based in Seattle. A month later, Host, which relocated its corporate headquarters from Virginia to Avondale Global Gateway in 2023, purchased a West Coast shipping agency and port operations firm to add to its growing presence at the former shipyard site.

“There is a lot going on in industrial services, and especially in the marine and logistics sectors,” said Gay LeBreton, managing director of Chaffe & Associates, a local investment banking firm that tracks mergers and acquisitions.

While each deal is unique, LeBreton said a couple of common factors are behind much of the recent activity One is a growing petrochemical sector across south Louisiana, which is fueling interest in maritime transport and logistics companies connected to it. The other is pent-up demand from investors who held on to their cash in the early months of President Donald Trump’s administration and are now looking for deals

There is a lot of dry powder out there,” LeBreton said. “Investment funds that have been held, or not deployed as quickly as they usually are, need to get out in the market.” Legacy business

Like the Canal Barge sale the Bisso deal marks the end of an era in a local maritime industry that once was home to global powerhouses like Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., International Shipholding Corp., Transoceanic Shipping and

Seven deals have taken place

including some local companies

sold to out-of-state firms.

Tidewater. Since the 1990s, the shipping companies have gradually sold, gone out of business or moved away Until recently, however, the tug and barge operators that serviced the massive oceangoing vessels were still based in New Orleans.

Bisso Towboat was among them and is the oldest continuously operating tugboat company on the Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 in New Orleans by Capt Joseph Bisso, great-great-grandfather of the company’s current president, Scott Slatten. At the time of the sale, the company had a fleet of 10 “tractor tugs,” super-powerful tugboats capable of helping massive ships maneuver on the swift-moving river While the sale is the end of local ownership of the company, it

doesn’t mean the loss of jobs or towboat activity along the lower Mississippi. Slatten said in a prepared statement that selling his family’s company was the best way to ensure “a continuous investment in the long-term health and growth of the business.” He did not return calls seeking comment.

Like Bisso, Moran is a familyowned business with roots dating back to the 19th century It has a fleet of more than 100 barges and towboats that service 17 ports along the East and Gulf Coast and seven liquefied natural gas terminals. It also has an environmental and industrial services division and does marine construction.

Tregurtha said Bisso was a “perfect complement” to the company’s

existing operations in New Orleans and “allows us to advance to a far more modern combined fleet in New Orleans more rapidly than just adding one tug at a time.” New Orleans as a logistics hub

The recent spate of M&A activity in the local maritime sector is part of a larger national trend. In the early months of the Trump administration, deal volume was down due to uncertainty around tariffs, trade and the effects of immigration on the national economy, national reports show While it’s still off about 10% compared with last year at this time, LeBreton said local activity is picking up.

“Now that they have passed the Big Beautiful Bill, there is a tax cut coming and a lower effective cost of capital and people are looking at that,” said LeBreton, who predicts deal volume will continue to increase through the first half of 2026. “Our firm has been incredibly busy.” Deals in the manufacturing and industrial sector, including maritime and energy, are particularly attractive, according to a report by PMCF, a national investment banking firm.

“Across capital-intensive sectors like industrials, oil and gas, and chemicals buyers are focusing on transactions that offer geographic expansion, product diversification, and cost efficiencies,” the report says. David DeLaureal, managing partner of private equity firm Carr’s Hill Partners, said New Orleans’ location and transportation infrastructure create fertile ground for growth in industrial subsectors

such as maritime logistics, energy services and transportation.

In July his firm purchased a majority stake in Freedom Intermodal, a local company that provides tank and rail services for bulk liquids customers. The deal, though different in many respects from the sale of Bisso or Canal Barge, was driven by some of the same factors that made both of the legacy companies attractive targets.

“New Orleans is only one of just two cities in the U.S. that all six Class 1 railroads connect to, with Chicago being the other,” he said. “When you think of that in the context of our existing port activity and the new port activity coming online, there is an opportunity to play a role in critical supply chains.”

LeBreton also sees opportunities in emerging sectors. One of the deals this year that her firm tracked was the acquisition of Gulf Craft, a Franklin shipyard, by Saronic. The Texas-based startup plans to manufacture autonomous vessels for military and commercial clients at the site, creating hundreds of jobs in the process.

“I think there is an interesting trend to watch in the defense and maritime industries in Louisiana, with transactions like Saronic and some of our traditional companies that are making unmanned vessels and drones,” she said. “I think that is going to change the nature of what our shipyards are doing and reverberate back to our suppliers.”

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

Ervin

Thibodeaux Goff

Lasky

STAFF PHOTO By By RICH COLLINS

Miriam Belblidia, Claire Mehling and Thom Smith chat on the front porch of their shared home in the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

in the local maritime industry since March,

operating on the Mississippi River being

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Q&A WITH PAUL SPALITTA

When restaurateurs need to resupply,they call on companies like S&W Foods. The familyowned food service distribution company counts local resta urants, regional coffee shop chains and public school districts among its 1,000clients

Second-generation owner Paul Spalitta has led the 47-year-old Tangipahoa Parish business through two decades of growth— morethantripling its revenue to $80millionduringthattimeand expanding its clientelebeyond southLouisiana along theGulf Coast into Florida.

Despite amassive drop in business during the height of the coronavirus pandemic,Spalitta managed to broaden S&W’s customer base, in part, by buying his employees’ lunches from local restaurants andthenpromoting them on social media. More recently,heoversaw S&W’s$25 million move into a Hammond facility five times the size of prior headquarters. Today, he runs the company with his two daughters. In this week’sTalking Business, Spalitta explains how he’sguided the 125-employee business’sgrowth while staving off competition from “Goliaths” in the industry

This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity

What led you to realize you need to expand, and then, what were the challenges?

We really started scaling up the company back in 2016-17. Almost daily,myoperations manager would come into my office, “We

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THEEXPERTS

againstgiants’

good food is agiven in arestaurant—you have to have that thething that you have to understandwhenyou open arestaurant: It’sabusiness. Iremember Iusedtoride on trucks making deliveries, and someofthe things that Isaw years agocertainly would never fly today,and so Ithink the level of professionalismofthe independent operators has certainly increased.

How much do you think theCOVID pandemic changed theindustry?

Alot of restaurants scaled back theirmenus, with not as diverse of aproduct offering as theydid before. Alot scaled back their hours, and those things have stuck.

management team. So Iquickly realized that Igot to have some help, andsoI started hiring people to help me with that. And throughoutthe years, we have built atremendous leadership team.

I’m very blessed that Ihave strong people around me.Fortunately,I’ve gotpeople alot smarter than me around me, and that’s what Ineed. Ioften say it, but if I’m the smartest guy in the room, we’re allintrouble

What do you think is differentabout working with family members, being their boss or having them be your boss?

won’thave enough space at the warehouse.” He said,“You’ve got to slow down.” I’m like,“We’renot slowing down. Figure it out.”

Iknew we had to do something, so back around 2018-19, we found some property and got allthe plans done for abrand-new facility.Bythe time we got allthat done, it was mid-2020. Iwas anticipating acostofabout $15million. Thecontractor comes back and says, “Oh, this is gonna be $27 million.” We couldn’tdothat, so I tabledit. Overthe next year,abig retail distribution center in Hammond went out of business, andwe started negotiating with them. Thefacilitythat was 21/2 times the size of what Iwas going to build waymore space than we needed —but Iknew we would figure it out. And that’swhat areal focus is now: How do we continue to push forward and grow thebusinessto use the capacitywehave here?

How do you see your business changing in

the coming years? As part of this new facilityand thenew capacity that we have, we’relooking at increasing our presence withnational chains To do that, there are certain requirements and one of the ones that most national chains require is athird-party audit —you have to have someone come in andinspect your facilitytomakesure that it’soperating in asafe, food safety mannerand your business practices are clean and sanitary. We are very excited and pleased that we recentlywereaccredited by theAmerican Institute of Bakers, whichisgoing to allowusto do business with the bigger national chains and to rapidly scale andgrow Separately fromhow your businesshas changed, how has the industryatlarge evolved over the years?

So many times I’ve seen people open restaurants because they think they makeagreat gumbo or barbecue or whatever it is. While

Ithink operatorsrealize,“Ican do this, and Idon’thave to work 90 hours aweek,” andsothey certainly realize that quality of life is important. Andthe negative side of that is the fact thata lotof their employees realized the same thing, and it’sbecome arealchallenge in the restaurant industry

Employeesare achallengeeverywhere, but it’s an entry-level employeejob for most of them, andmaintaining proper staffing levels is achallenge. Sometimes thewait timesare longer,and you don’tget quitethe serviceyou usedtoget. Ithink that’spart of thepermanent change.

Do you find yourself working 90 hours aweek? How do you balance business responsibilities withneeding time and space for yourself?

Well, the good thing about our business is thatit’sfive days a week, it’s Monday through Friday So Iget the weekends off, and I enjoy and cherish that time off with my family Back in 2006, basically my mother,myfatherand myself ran thecompany.Whentheyretired, there just walked out66% of the

I’m blessed to have two of my daughters involved in the company with me,grooming them to take over this business in the future. They,like myself, grew up around thebusiness.Our family vacations were plannedaround businesstrips wherewewould go to conventionsand things like that.

It’salot of fun and good times, but it also hasits challenging moments. Sometimes family members don’tsee eyetoeye, andthat presents challenges, but you work through it.

Ithink there’sanadvantage to being afamily business andanindependent company because most of ourcompetitors are big national companies, and so we compete against giants.

We’redefinitelythe David in this Goliath story —and whatour customers like is the fact thatwe are muchmore nimble andflexible,weprovide outstanding customer service. And most of my customers are friends of mine, people thatI’ve been knowing for many yearsand just have agreat time doing business with. EmailJonah Meadows at Jonah.Meadows@theadvocate. com.

Building the Future of Energy Logistics.

AROUND THE REGION

Environmental study pending

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

The Port of New Orleans and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development have signed an agreement to advance the long-discussed St. Bernard Transportation Corridor — a proposed elevated highway that would link the planned Louisiana International Terminal in Violet to the interstate system.

The project, expected to cost around $1 billion, is seen as critical to handling the thousands of trucks that will serve the new container terminal, which is sched-

uled to open in 2028 if it overcomes permitting hurdles.

Port and state officials say the new road would also improve local traffic flow and provide a hurricane evacuation route.

“This project addresses both the economic and safety needs of our state,” said DOTD Secretary Glenn Ledet, calling it a “strategic link between our international trade system and our communities.”

The agreement comes five months after the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission released its long-awaited feasibility study outlining several potential routes, all involving an elevated expressway over the Central Wetlands. The most favored option would connect directly from the Violet terminal to Paris Road and

onto the interstate.

Port NOLA President and CEO Beth Branch said the partnership with DOTD marks “an important milestone” in moving both the terminal and corridor forward “with one unified vision for our region’s future.”

Branch

Still, the road — like the multibillion-dollar terminal project it would serve — remains controversial. The new terminal has long been considered crucial if New Orleans wants to continue to compete for international container ship business as vessels grow ever larger. Advocates also have said the facility is

needed to attract new manufacturing and distribution investment to the region.

Many St. Bernard Parish residents and leaders, however, continue to oppose the terminal’s location, warning it will bring truck congestion, noise and wetlands destruction.

St. Bernard Parish President Louis Pomes has said he is “firmly opposed” to the terminal but wants a say in which road alternative is chosen if it moves ahead. “If we lose that fight, we refuse to leave our people exposed,” he said in May The terminal itself is still await-

ing key federal approval. The U.S Army Corps of Engineers held a public hearing in May as part of its environmental review under the Clean Water and Rivers and Harbors acts, taking written comments through early June The Corps is now reviewing those submissions and could issue a decision later this year, according to Port NOLA officials. Until the Corps signs off, construction on the terminal — and any related road work — cannot begin. Port officials plan to seek a private partner to finance and operate the elevated road as a toll facility, with DOTD providing technical support and oversight of required federal environmental studies. Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.

Pomes

NATION & WORLD

Consumers get surprise sticker shock ordering imports online

BY CAROLINE PETROW-COHEN Los Angeles Times

Every year, Ventura County, California, resident Carlos Soto buys a Liverpool Football Club jersey for his son to celebrate the start of the soccer season. This year it was delivered with an additional bill of $107.

“The UPS guy said he couldn’t release it unless I paid more,” Soto said. “Until this tariff thing started, I’ve never, ever had a bill on top of my purchase.”

Soto declined the payment and requested a refund for the jersey, which he bought from the team’s official website for around $150.

Since President Donald Trump reversed a decades-old tariff policy in August known as de minimis, online shoppers like Soto are sometimes getting hit with high, unexpected extra charges. De minimis used to allow goods valued at less than $800 to enter the country duty-free. The tariff exception applied to more than 1.3 billion packages sent to the U.S. from overseas in 2024, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Social media is full of reports of individuals struggling with surprise bills for their deliveries. On Facebook and elsewhere, buyers are venting about hundreds of dollars due on mouse pads, makeup and bridesmaid dresses. One person on Reddit faced a $4,700 fee on a specialized desk chair from Bulgaria.

While the new fees are often already baked into product prices, some goods land in America without the tariffs being paid. That’s when the person receiving the package is expected to fork over the difference.

Package delivery companies have been scrambling to educate consumers about the new tariff regime, but still, some are surprised. UPS, FedEx and DHL have each posted frequently asked questions and resources online to support customers who may owe tariffs on their items. Large numbers of customers are calling with complaints

“It’s

kind of awkward how the fees are collected. There’s not a lot of clarity on who’s collecting them and where they’re going.”

of Washington, D.C.

HERR,

DAVID

or confusion when presented with unexpected bills — UPS said it is working through a backlog of brokerage-related issues.

“Our brokerage services are designed to ensure shipments comply with regulations (and) pay necessary duties and taxes,” UPS spokesperson Jim Mayer said. “If the shipper or receiver have not paid these costs, UPS generates a bill so the shipment can be released by Customs and Border Protection.”

Mark Hartlidge, a small package compliance manager at UPS, called the changes this year a “rollercoaster ride” in one webinar hosted for customers.

“If you import anything to the United States, you most likely have been impacted,” he said in July “These changes can be very difficult to understand.”

While large companies and online retailers have the staff and infrastructure in place to make the transition smoothly, smaller businesses that export directly to the U.S. are sometimes failing to inform consumers about the extra costs and when they are due.

Washington, D.C., resident David Herr, who restores classic cars, recently ordered an auto part from Belgium for about $200.

“I knew I was going to have to pay some import fee, but I had no idea what it was going to be,” Herr said. “I didn’t know if that was included in the price, or if that was going to be collected by customs or somebody else.”

When Herr’s package arrived via UPS, the delivery driver presented him with a hefty charge of $493.

“It’s kind of awkward how the fees are collected,” he said.

Beyond.

Beyond isn’taplace —it’samindset. Andit’sabelief that haspowered us forover80years.Weare Jones Walker LLP,afirm driven by an entrepreneurialspirit, a deepsense of community, andafierce determination to deliverexceptional serviceand valuefor our clients. Since1937, our firm hasbeencommitted to workingwith communityleaders to develop business opportunities across thestate.Weare steadfastincontinuingour dedicationtogobeyond in advising clientsand supporting initiativesand organizationsthatmake Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork.

WilliamH.Hines

Managing Partner

bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000

201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100 joneswalker.com

Attorney Advertising. No representation is made that thequality of legal services to be performedisgreater than thequality of legalservices performedbyother attorneys. LA-25-19274

Since President Donald Trump reversed a decadesold tariff rule called de minimis in August allowing shoppers to buy goods valued at less than $800 to enter the country duty free, some package delivery companies have been having to collect the balance at the door

PROVIDED PHOTO

“There’s not a lot of clarity on who’s collecting them and where they’re going.”

The popular fast fashion website Shein, which is based in Singapore, advertises a guarantee that the price at checkout is the final price for the product.

“There’s lots of chatter about tariffs, but here’s why you don’t need to worry about paying anything extra after checkout,” the Shein website says.

Temu, another low-cost online retailer that previously relied on de minimis, states on its website that for its customers, there are “no import charges for all local warehouse items and no extra charges upon delivery.”

De minimis, which is Latin for something of little importance, dates to 1938 when Congress passed the exception to boost trade and save the time of inspecting and calculating taxes on every package.

Lawmakers increased the dutyfree threshold from $1 to $5 in 1990

and again to $200 in 1993. Under the most recent threshold of $800, the number of packages entering the U.S. duty-free had skyrocketed.

Trump has called the rule a “scam” that weakens American businesses and allows dangerous goods to enter the country without oversight. Packages that claim the exemption are not inspected as thoroughly by U.S Customs personnel.

Trump ended the loophole for goods sent from China in May before eliminating the practice for goods from all other nations in August Documents and gifts under $100 are still exempt from import taxes.

Soto in Thousand Oaks decided to search for a Liverpool jersey in California. But he’s still waiting for the refund on the jersey he sent back.

“When it comes to politics and government, I’ve always kind of turned away from it,” he said. “But this time it actually hurt my pocket.”

LOOKINGBEYOND: JonesWalkeron

Louisiana’sEconomy

Drivingregionaleconomicgrowththrough legalknowledge,strategic guidance, andindustry-focusedpartnerships.

Ourfirm is optimisticabout Louisiana’seconomicfuture, particularly in oiland gas, sustainableenergy,digital healthcare,and technology.As thestate advances in energy transition andinnovation, businesses must navigate evolving legal landscapes.Our affiliate, AvidentAdvisors,supportsthistransformation by providingstrategic site selection andinvestment guidanceacrosskey sectors, includingcarboncapture, ports, sustainableenergy, andadvanced manufacturing. With strong momentum andexpanding opportunities, Louisiana is poised forsignificant economic growth—and we areproud to help lead theway forward.

WilliamH.Hines

Ibelong to acommunityof writers whose mission is to help others manage their money,avoid unscrupulous financial professionals, protect themselves from scams and save enough to retire with as little budgeting stress as possible.

Amember of this cohort, Jonathan Clements —a former personal finance columnist for The Wall Street Journal and founder of HumbleDollar.com —died Sept. 21 of cancer at the ageof62. Although alongtime reader of his writing, Imet Clements only once, two years ago, at a“Bogleheads”conferenceinMaryland. Iwas invited to speak on apanel with my husband and twoyoungadult daughters on how to make investing afamily affair Clements, who was also speaking at the conference, was kind, funny,engaging, and he spoke with asimplicity about investing that Iadmired. We weretwo of a kind.

Bogleheads are followers of John C. “Jack” Bogle, who founded the Vanguard Group 50 years ago and is recognized as the father of the index fund. This simple, low-cost, buy-and-hold investment strategy has helped many regular investors achieve financial success, some even be-

Fool’sTake: Apfat

dividend yield

Motley Fool

Pfizer’s(NYSE: PFE)sales of COVID-19 products are at only afraction of their levels from afew years ago. Meanwhile, the company faces the loss of patent exclusivityfor many drugs —including Inlyta, Xeljanz, Eliquis, Xtandi, the Vyndaqel brand family,and Mektovi —over the next three years.

Pfizer may seem like apoor investment, despite its recently very low forward-looking priceto-earnings ratio below 9; however, there’sabetter story to

spend much of themoney he had saved and invested.

Michelle Singletary THE COLOR OF MONEy

comingmillionaires. Clements was one of the leading and early advocates for this type of investing, which is just right for those of uswho live alife of frugality ABogle bobblehead sitson my bookshelflike atalisman agiveaway for the book “The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing.”

(Fulldisclosure: Iown Vanguard mutual funds in my 401(k)plan.)

In theforward to “How to Retire,” abook Ireviewed last year, Clements wrote: “When Istarted thinking aboutretirementinmy 20s and early 30s, Iviewed it as a simple financial endeavor: Save like crazy for three or four decades, slap a4%withdrawal rate on theaccumulated savings,and then headoff for alife of fun, fun, fun. Ah, the embarrassing ignorance of youth.”

The cancer —diagnosed in May 2024 —would upend his best-laid plans. Buthecandidly shared histhoughtsondealing with the realization that he wouldn’tget to

this big drugmaker than meets the eye.

Pfizer’ssales for the products losing exclusivity won’t dryup overnight.More important, the company has multiple products thatshould generate strong growth, including bladder cancerdrug Padcev,multiple myeloma drug Elrexfio and respiratory syncytial virusvaccine Abrysvo.

Anddon’tforget Pfizer’spipeline:Itfeatures 108 candidates, 28 of which are in phase3latestage testing. Another four await regulatory approvals. It’s also growing by acquisition, recently aiming to buy Metsera, acompany that has four weightloss drug candidates.

Finally,Pfizer’sdividend yield —recently around 7.1% —helps

“What if you were told you had ayear to live?” he wrote in acolumnfor The Washington Post in August 2024. “Life coaches sometimes pose questions like this to help folks figure out what’s truly important to them.”

Iread that and thought: “What would Ido?”

Would Ispend down all mysavings to squeeze in all the things I had promised myself Iwould do once Iretired? Could Ifinally conquer my “spendphobia?”

Iamgetting better at treating myself to someluxury items, but not without fear of having less funds should Ineed long-term care. Iadmire how Clementsdecided to share his journey with readers. He gave us, me, aroad map to accepting what can’tbechanged. Near the end of his life, Clements didn’tdothings much differently.Hechose not to try to cram 20 years or more of bigticket things on his bucket list into the16months he had after his diagnosis.

He and his wife, Elaine, decided to go forward withseveral trips, but mostly he planned to “squeeze as much happiness” out of the days thedays he had left, Cle-

boostthe stock’s total return significantly.While Pfizer does face some challenges, its dividend can compensate long-term investors for those risks. (The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Pfizer.)

Ask the Fool: Deflation dangers

What, exactly,isdeflation? —B.S., Draper,Utah It’sthe oppositeofinflation,and it’s what you call an economic environment where prices have been falling. That means your income will buy you more goods and services,but it’s not all positive —and deflation can be worse than inflation. Deflation generally occurs when demand falls and supply

ments said last year on apodcast with Christine Benz, director of personal finance andretirement planning for Morningstar

“I like the wayI spend every day,” he said. “Lifeisfull of small pleasures. That first cup of coffee, exercising, going out to lunch with friends, working, writing and editing that Ido, sitting down in the evening and having aglass of wine with Elaine. That’swhat makes thedays enjoyable forme. Andagain, I’mnot inclined to change that at this late stage.”

Benzpressed him gently on purchasing business-class tickets for his air travel

“Even though you realized you should splurge, you pulled back because of the expense,” she said.

“Can you talkabout adecision like that, how you’re marrying your thrift with your desire to really make sure that you enjoy the time that you have?”

He stayed true to his nature, weighing the costs.

On one flight to London, he upgraded from premium economy to aflatbed foranextra $1,064.

“The price was right,” he said.

Buthebalked at doing the samefor atrip to Paris. The cost: $3,300.

“Yeah, Ican’tget over that hurdle, unfortunately,”hetold Benz.

increases.Supply increases when productioncosts drop, often due to technological advances.Demandcan fall when consumers areworried about theeconomy andchoose to spend less andsavemore; overall pessimism can also lead to lessspending. Deflation is dangerous because when prices arefalling, consumers may put offpurchases, hoping for even lower prices, which causes the economy to slow down. Aslowing economy can lead to joblosses and rising unemployment, and when companies have less moneycoming in, they’re less likely to invest in further growth. Wages can be reduced as well, and businesses and people earning less money can have trouble paying off

“The price is not right.”

As he explained, his shortened lifeexpectancy didn’tderail his penny-pinching ways.

“The reason Ihave ahealthy portfolio today is not because I wasabrilliant investor,” he said.

“I’ve spent my entire lifeasan indexer.The reason Ihave a healthy portfolio today is because Ihave historically been agreat saver,the No.1financial attribute forfinancial success.”

He wasunapologetic about his frugality without judging others whodecide they have saved to afford comfort when they thought it wasright. Money can buy happiness, but so can saving.

“I have aseven-figure portfolio that wassupposed to pay formy retirement, but will instead help pay forthe retirement of others,” he wrote in the column forThe Post. “I could, of course, go on a glorious spending spree —firstclass travel, luxury hotels, fine art. But after alifetime of thrift, that sort of spending would make me uncomfortable, plus I’dbe taking money from Elaine and my twochildren, and whywould I want to do that?”

Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost. com.

their debts. All this could turn into avicious cycle—and asevere recession.

Deflation-fighting movesinclude injecting more money into the economy (whichcan spur inflation) andlowering interest rates. What are“catastrophe bonds”? They don’tsound likesomething I’dwant to buy.— E.G.,Washington, Pennsylvania Oftenreferredtoas“cat bonds,” they’re bonds sold by insurance companies to help themcover the costs of catastrophessuchashurricanes or earthquakes. These bonds offer relatively high yields anddiversificationfor your portfolio, but youcould lose your entire principalifa predefined event occurs within the (typically multiyear) life of the bond.

Sponsored:Plaquemines Parish Thanks Governor Landry, StateLegislatorsfor BelleChasse BridgeToll Action

Submittedarticle

Brought to youbythe Louisiana Commercial Fishing Coalition,LLC Forgenerations,PlaqueminesParish –home to morethan 22,000residents –has been defined by hardwork, resilience,and the industries thatprovide livelihoods for thousands of local families.Atthe heart of that economyisthe Belle Chasse Bridge,a vital link connecting the parishtothe rest of Louisiana and beyond.For residents, businesses, and visitorsalike, thisbridge is morethan concreteand steel– it is a lifeline. Anchored by energy,commercial and recreational fishing,and maritime industries Plaquemines Parish’seconomyreflects the resourcefulnessthathas long defined coastal Louisiana The recentdecision by GovernorJeff Landry to suspend tolls on the Belle Chasse Bridgesends apowerful message: Plaquemines Parish deserves fairness, relief and respect forthe essential infrastructure thatkeeps it connected and thriving. By placing Plenary InfrastructureBelle Chasse “onnotice” and promising a“betterdeal for Plaquemines,” GovernorLandrymadeclear

thatthe state standswith thecommunity.And Parish PresidentKeithHinkley’ssteadfast advocacy ensured thatthoseconcerns were clearly heard.

LawmakersStepUpfor Plaquemines Bridgerelief would nothavebeen possiblewithout strongleadership from state lawmakers. Senator PatConnick R-Marrero, SenatorGaryCarter, D-New Orleans,and RepresentativeJacob Braud, R-Belle Chasse, championed the people of Plaquemines Parish and thosewho depend on access to it.Last week, the threeissued alettertoLouisianaAttorneyGeneral Liz Murrill requesting an investigation into Plenary and acease-and-desistorder to halt excessivefees– noting that administrative chargesbetween May14and Sept.14totaled morethan $6.8 million, exceeding the $5.1 million collected in tolls.Their coordinated action underscored the urgency of protecting residents and businessesfromunfaircharges ABridgeThatConnects Communities andCommerce The Belle Chasse Bridgeiscentral to daily

lifeinPlaqueminesParish. It linksfamiliesto schools and healthcare, enables businessesto reach markets acrossLouisiana,and provides recreational fishermen accesstothe parish’s world-classwaters When tolling errorsand hiddenfees inflatedcosts,the ripple effects were immediate and widespread. Families faced unexpected bills totalingthousands of dollars, whilelocal shopowners,restaurants, andservice providersreportedsharp declines in business– some greaterthan thoseseen during the COVID-19pandemic. Deliveries slowed, foot trafficdropped, andthe strain on small businessesdeepened. Forlocal companies likecommercial menhaden operators Daybrook Fisheries and Westbank Fishing in Empire, reliable and affordable accessisessential. Operating on tightmargins,evenmodest increases in transportation costs candirectly affectjobs, contracts,and profitability. Together, these employers representthe largest source of jobs in southern Plaquemines Parish, providing hundreds of residentswithsteady livelihoods whilefulfilling contractsthatreach national

and international markets.The recenttoll suspensiondeliverscrucialrelief –not just forthese businesses, but forthe entireparish –ensuring thatPlaquemines remains ahub forboth commerceand recreation.

Looking Ahead

The Belle Chasse Bridgeissue reflectsthe importance of infrastructurethatsupports every aspect of lifeinPlaquemines Parish. Residents,businesses, and visitorsdependon abridge thatissafe, affordable,and reliable. Protecting thataccessisessential not only foreconomic vitalitybut also forpreserving the parish’sway of lifefor futuregenerations By holding the operatoraccountable and correcting excessivefees,state leaders reaffirmed that public infrastructure must servethe people fairly and efficiently On behalf of the people of Plaquemines Parish,thank youtoGovernorLandry, Representative Braud, Senators Connick and Carter,and Parish PresidentHinkley forstandingwiththe community.Your leadershipensures that Plaquemines Parish continues to move forward– connected, prosperous,and opentoall.

MADE IN LOUISIANA

Hovercraft of the future being built in N.O. East

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

From its shipyard just past the floodwall in New Orleans East, Textron Systems designs, builds and tests the latest in hovercraft technology

Workers there take in 40-footlong sheets of raw aluminum, cut them into components build up subassemblies and put together watertight hulls before flipping them over and adding the modules on top The whole process takes about two years before the hovercraft head outside and undergo the rigorous set of trials required by their U.S. Navy purchaser. Over the past five years, Textron has completed 15 next-generation hovercraft — called Ship-to-Shore Connectors — with plans to build another 54 at its 47-acre Chef Menteur Highway plant The company also operates in Slidell and at the Michoud Assembly Facility

The division of Rhode Islandbased Textron Inc., a publicly traded multi-industry conglomerate with nearly $14 billion in annual revenue, also produces armored personnel carriers, unmanned vehicles and various weapons systems. But the focus for the more than 600 workers at its New Orleans shipyard is building the high-tech, air-cushioned amphibious landing crafts at a rate of four per year

The Textron plant’s location outside the levee protection system in Bayou Sauvage provides distinct advantages — the ability to easily “fly” the amphibious military vehicles to Lake Pontchartrain to conduct simulated missions or out onto the Gulf for delivery to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City Florida.

The environment also comes with some hazards, including storms and flooding.

Then there’s the threat of alligator intrusion. Gators can regularly be found sunning themselves outside the plant, according to Ryan Schaffernocker, senior vice presi-

dent of marine systems.

One such reptilian trespasser traipsed into the shipyard late one Sunday last year after most workers had gone home.

“We caught him on security camera walking into one of our buildings,” Schaffernocker said.

“Our morning shift came in on Monday and started working and hearing that hissing sound that they make when they feel threatened.”

The occasional surprise alligator is a small price to pay for direct water access, engineering tal-

ent and a supply of skilled tradespeople like shipfitters, machinists, electricians and welders, of which there are 100 working at the New Orleans plant.

The new generation of hovercraft replaces the Landing Craft Air Cushion, the decades-old model of amphibious vehicles — also made in Louisiana by Textron — used by the Navy to deliver Marines and their equipment to shore.

Since 2012, Textron has received more than $2 billion in government contracts to develop and build the next-generation hovercraft. Its most recent contract, awarded in June, called for three craft at a cost of $118 million each, not including the cost of components like the engines, skirt and other composites that the government provides prior to assembly What does that buy? A 92-footlong vessel capable of carrying 74 tons, enough for an M-1A1 Abrams tank equipped with a mine plow, the heaviest cargo the Marines ever need to land. An SSC can also carry up to 150 fully

equipped troops when it has a personnel transport module installed.

“What’s great about having a hovercraft is you can access over 70% of the world’s coastlines, because you’re flying,” Schaffernocker said. “You’re flying a very small amount over the surface of the water You go right up on the beach, drop your ramps, offload your cargo, and then go back to the ship for another load. You don’t have to worry about things like coral reefs or obstacles.”

That versatility is especially valuable for logistics in humanitarian assistance, disaster response or resupply missions. While the SSC comes equipped with mounting points for weapons, its primary role is a noncombat one.

Schaffernocker said Textron designers swapped in a more corrosion-resistant aluminum composite, as well as a new electronic flight control system to address one of the biggest problems with the previous generation of hovercraft: training pilots to operate the craft.

“There was a very high fail-out rate, so the new fly-by-wire computer system takes a lot of the guesswork and a lot of the challenges that came along with training those sailors,” he said “Essentially, a computer does a lot of the work for you.”

Future versions of the hovercraft will likely have the ability to pilot themselves, although selfdriving is not yet a requirement of the Navy’s hovercraft procurement program, Schaffernocker said.

“We have a lot of engineering background, a lot of heritage, a lot of intellectual property around what it takes to uncrew a vehicle,” he said. “I certainly see that as part of the future for the program.”

Email Jonah Meadows at Jonah.Meadows@theadvocate. com.

The newest generation of hovercraft, the Ship-to-Shore Connector or SSC, is made in Louisiana by Textron Systems, formerly known as Textron Marine & Land Systems.

Textron Systems employs 615 workers at its shipyard in New Orleans East, about a dozen at a secure storage space it leases at Michaud Assembly Facility and about 70 at its vehicle production and administrative facilities in Slidell.

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FINDING ADAM’S VOICE

NewOrleans momspeaksfor her children with rare geneticdisease

BY MARGARETDeLANEY Staffwriter

When Adam started kindergarten, histeacher could tell he was behind The other kids could color inside the lines. The other kidscould identify redobjects. Adam could not.

“He was my first child,” said Adam’s mother,Missy Ward.“I had no one to compare him to.”

Then,Adam started having bathroom accidents. He started falling.

After the liver transplant in February 1995, Amanda tested positive for Niemann Pick Disease type C, arare, inherited genetic disease that affects the body’sability to transport andprocess cholesterol and other fatty substances inside the cell.

“It’sbeen special to tell our family’sstory.

We hope itcan help others heal and know that they’re not alone.”

MISSy WARD

“He would trip over in the mall,” Ward said.“Likeamarionette —withoutthe strings, thepuppet just falls. It would be like that.”

At the same time, the newest addition to the Ward family,Amanda,was in and out of the hospital.

Amanda was born withcystic fibrosis and an enlarged liver,a condition that required her to have aliver transplant when she was 4monthsold.

Niemann PickCis progressive andneurodegenerative, presenting as delayed child milestones andlossof muscle quickly.Other symptomsinclude clumsiness, learning difficulties,difficultyswallowing, slurred speech and seizures.

At 6, after ayear and a half of symptoms, frustration and developmental declines,Adam was also diagnosed withNiemann Pick C.

“Each child is different,” saidDr. Hans Andersson, apediatric professor and director of the HaywardGenetics Center at Tulane University in New Orleans.

ä See VOICE, page 2X

BY SHANTELL GOMEZ Contributing writer

Around age 40, most adults notice the need to hold aphone or book alittle farther away to read. Vision changes, which happen to almost everyone during midlife, mayfeel like another sign of aging, but the good news is that there are more options than ever to keep eyes healthy and sight sharp.

Dr.Erica Lukasko, an optometrist who treats patients daily at her practice in Lafayette, is also experiencing these same changes herself.

“Now that I’m wellinto my 40s,” Lukasko said, “I’m notjust speaking fromknowledge —I’m speaking from experience. Iget to try the treatments on myself and recommendwhattruly works.”

Vision changesafter 40

The most commonchange is presbyopia, which occurs when the lens in the eye loses flexibility, making it harder to focusonobjectsupclose.That’swhenreading glasses —orprogressive lenses,ifswitching between different distances is needed —comeinto play.

Over-the-counter readers may work for some people, but Lukasko warns they aren’talways the best solution.

“Theydon’t account fordifferences between your eyes, andif you’re not looking through the optical centerofthe lens, they can actually create eyestrain, Lukasko said. Progressive lenses, or no-line bifocals, area good choice for those who frequently switchbetween near and far tasks, andthere are even office versions designed specifically forheavyscreen time. Contact lenses are also an option —even if correction is only needed up close. Multifocal contacts or monovision, where one eye is correctedfor distance and the otherfor near vision, canprovide freedom from glasses.

In addition, prescription drops, including Qlosi and Vuity, are now available that can improve near visionfor several hours aday Dryeyesinahumid climate Eveninthe humidityofsouth Louisiana,dry eyes arecommon —especially in midlife. Factors like ceiling fans, air conditioning andallergy medications can all contribute.

Symptoms include scratchiness, burning, redness, watering or blurry vision. Fortunately, there areplenty of ways to manage this condition:

n Fish oil(Omega-3s): About 2,000 milligrams aday helpsimprove theoily layeroftears, preventing them from evaporating tooquickly

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Missy Ward holds hernewborndaughter,Amanda. It was the last time Adam and Chelsea Ward would seetheirlittlesister until her return from aliver transplant in Dallas at 4months old.

ROVIDED

HEALTH MAKER

CAR-T pioneertrainsbodytofight cancer

BY KAYLA YUP

The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) Philadelphia’spioneering cancer scientist, Carl June, hasbeen honoredwith two awardsinthe last month for his seminal work engineering the body’simmune system to fight cancer June has spent decadesresearching CAR-T,animmunotherapy in which regular immune cells are geneticallymodified to becomecancer-killing super soldiers. And he says his lab’swork is far from finished.

The University of Pennsylvania scientist was chosen last week for the inaugural Broermann Medical Innovation Award for his decades of research on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) Tcell therapy, known as CAR-T.Toutedas“a living drug,” the therapy has revolutionized treatmentfor blood cancers, saving tens of thousands of lives since its first use in a2010 clinical trial June co-led atPenn.

The treatment used in that trial, Kymriah, was developed in June’s lab and ultimately became the first CAR-T cell therapy togain FDAapproval in2017.

He will share the award, worth more than $1 million, withColumbia University scientist Michel Sadelain, who worked on a similar technique at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Since June’sclinical success, several other CAR-T products have been approved, and more than 1,000 trials have been

“Wecan catch problems like glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration early We can also detect signs of systemic issues likehigh blood pressure, diabetes or thyroid disease —sometimes before other symptoms appear.”

DR. ERICA LUKASKO

EYE

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n Warm compresses: Applyingawarm compress for 10 minutes daily keeps eyelid glands functioning properly

n Artificial tears: Choose preservative-free drops andskip formulas that claim to “get the redout.”

n Prescription drops: For stubborn cases, stronger treatments are available through an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Simple daily steps make adifference in long-term eye health:

n Eat dark leafy greens, rich in antioxidants like lutein.

n Wear sunglasses —UVrays damage eyes just like theydamageskin.

n Avoid smoking, which raises the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.

n Follow the 20/20/20 rule for screen breaks: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feetawayfor 20 seconds.

n Use adequate lighting.

n Get enough sleep —rest is vital for healthy eyes.

Eyeexams matter

After40, acomprehensive eye exam once ayear is key— even when vision seems fine.

“Wecan catch problemslike glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration early,” Lukasko said. “Wecan also detect signs of systemic issues like high blood pressure, diabetes or thyroid disease —sometimes before other symptoms appear.”

Certain symptoms call for immediate attention. Flashes of light, new floaters, or a“curtain” or shadow in vision can signal retinal problems. Sudden vision loss or eye pain alsorequires urgent care.

Eyes will change with age, but that doesn’tmean living with poor vision or constant discomfort.

“I never want someone leavingtheir exam feeling like their vision is just falling apart,” Lukasko said. “I want them to leave educated and excited about their plan of action.”

launchedaround theworld. Interestincell andgenetherapies has also exploded throughout Philadelphia, turning thecity into a biotech hub thatsomehave nicknamed“Cellicon Valley.”

The Penn scientist has collected anumber ofprestigious honors over theyears, including a2023 Breakthrough Prize and, earlier this month, a2025 BalzanPrize forGeneand Gene-Modified Cell

Therapy

While most of these recognize June’searlysuccesses in developingCAR-T,his labhas continued making advancesinthe lab and clinic.

Their recent efforts have involved optimizing the therapy and expandingits uses to other cancers anddiseases.

TheInquirer spoke with June, whohas been at Penn since 1999, to learn more about his lab’slatest research andthe future of CAR-T

Thefollowingconversation has been edited for length and clarity

What hasyour lab been up to recently?

What we’re focusing on in my lab is figuring out what it will take to cure solid cancers.

There’s still alot of work needed in blood cancers, but Ithink that’smore of an engineering problem. It’sgetting theright targets.

I’m confident thatT cells can kill every blood cancer if they’re properly targeted. We may need to combine it with other things, but we’re not anywhere close to thatfor solid cancers like pancreatic cancer.Weknow in principle what we can do to tackle solid cancers, but we still need a lotof science to be uncovered to

VOICE

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“Bothin theseverityand the time their symptoms appear.”

Adam, who was five years older than hissister,declinedrapidly afterhis diagnosis.Henever progressed inhis speech or motor skills. He lost his ability to ride a bike and to eat foodthat he liked.

“At thetime, there wasnothing,” Ward said.“No treatment. No cure. When ourkids were diagnosed, there was only one known case in Louisiana.”

As Amandagot better, hitting childhoodbenchmarks, Adam got worse He was soonconfined to awheelchair and fed through atube.

Four years after his diagnosis, Adam diedinJune 2000. He was 10.

“He wasjust goofy,” Ward said. “Hewould just laugh and play at all kinds ofthings.”

Shortly after his death, however Amanda began to mirror her brother’s pattern of decline.

At 5years old, Amanda started to lose her fallreflex —just like Adam.

“Her falling was precipitated by laughter,” Ward said. “But everythingwas funnytoAmanda. Our living room —our house —for yearswas covered in blankets and bean bags to catch her fall if she laughedtoo hardatsomething.”

Amanda hada grand malseizure in 2004 and never regainedher abilityto smile or to laugh. And, in December2004, she diedat10years old— justlikeAdam.

Afuturefullofgenetics

When Adam and Amanda were diagnosed, gettingthe genetic test results took several weeks. There was only one laboratory in the country that was running the genetic testsnecessary to diagnose their rare disease.

Now,genetic diagnosis takes a few days.

Technology and awareness for rare diseases have come along way in thepast 20 years.

Back then, Andersson treated both Adam and Amanda for Niemann Pick CatTulane. He diagnosed Adam usinga skin biopsy, andhe helped treat Amanda after herdiagnosis Although technology is improving, and more people are dedicated to finding treatment options for patients,there is no cure forNiemann PickC

However,the Federal Drug Administration has approved arimoclomol, or Miplyffa, in combination with the enzyme inhibitor miglustat to treat neurological symptoms associated with Niemann Pick Cinadults and children 2years of age andolder

make it reproducible.

We just had apaper published afew weeks ago where we used CAR-T cells for pancreatic cancer,and we found out that the CAR-T cells in the patients were completely exhausted within two weeks.

They just stopped working.

That doesn’thappen in blood cancer,sowe’re studying themechanismsofwhat makes that happen andwhat we can do to overcome that.

That involves thingslike either genetic editing the Tcells to knock out the molecules that allow exhaustion to happen, or overexpressing other molecules. That’sa very large area of research in mylab.

Youfound that these cells were only active for two weeks. How long are they usually active in blood cancers?

The first patient that we treated still has active CAR-T cells 10 years later.Sowecall them aliving drug. And then Emily Whitehead, who’sa junior now at Penn, was7 years old basically when we treated her,and she still has CAR Tcells.

With blood cancer,asubset of patientshave them pretty much indefinitely,and we haven’tseen that in solid cancer

This summer,your labalso published research on enhancing CAR-Tcells for lymphoma. Can you talk about that work?

In 2017, we made in mice CARTcells that we called “armored.” They secreted the cytokine interleukin 18 (IL18), which we showed, in mouse tumor models, madeitmuch morepotent. So then we started the trial in humans, and our first patientshad complete responses. It was shock-

ing. The Tcells were basically 100 times more potent than what is currently FDA-approved.

How does IL18 boost the fighting abilities of these CAR-Tcells?

Oneofthe answers, forsure, is it activates the innate immune system,sothings like natural killer cells andmonocytes. We also think it can act as a growthfactor forthe CAR-T cells themselves. So it may have more than one mechanism of action.

We still have ongoing trials looking at that here at Penn. Are there other ways your lab is enhancing CAR-Tcells?

We’reusing screening strategies like CRISPR and base editing to screen fortargets. We’ve identified manythat right now are being tested in mice as ways to enhance the function of the T cells in asolid tumor

We have onepostdoc whocould knock out 20 genes at one time. It’samazing. That’sgoing to be an ongoing project, identifying ways to either prevent or slow down this exhaustion in solid tumors.

In June, astartup you cofounded to treat autoimmune diseaseswith CAR-Twas acquired by AbbVie for$2.1 billion. Can you talk about uses forCAR-Toutside of cancer?

Autoimmunity was ahuge surprise. Everyone was afraid that maybe there would be too many side effects with CAR cells in patientswith autoimmunity.But two German professors, George Schettand Andreas Mackensen, did very carefulstudies in Germanyover several years. They treated 15 patients with three differentautoimmune diseases, and found a100% response

rate. It wasextraordinary.They published it initially on one patient, aVietnamese womanwho has now been in remission for three years. She had lupus and got asingle infusion of the CARs. They also treated scleroderma and myositis, these horrible autoimmune diseases.

Ijust taught acourse two days ago at Penn, where we looked on the government data website clinicaltrials.gov and there were 140 trials now in the world treating autoimmune disease with CAR cells.

There are manymore patients with autoimmune disease than there are cancer.And this is something we are looking at through both academic trials here at Penn and in the biotech/pharma industry Are there anyapplications of CAR-Tfrom other groups that youreally admire or that you find most promising?

Probably the mostdisappointing thing is how long it takes to go from preclinical experiments in animals to human results. It just takes too long. It’s ageneral problem we have.

But there’sexciting work with natural killer cells. And people at MD Anderson (in Texas) have been using umbilical cord blood, that would normally be thrown away when babies are born, to grow CAR cells.

That’sexciting. It’s another approach rather than starting with peripheral blood from acancer patient. And the advances with lipid nanoparticles and in vivo viral delivery have happened much faster than Ithought it would.

“It’s not acure,”Andersson said. “But it may slow theprocess.” Andersson, as the director of HaywardGenetics Center and the Karen Gore Chair forHumanGeneticsatTulane,has seen almost all of the patients in thestate with rare disorders. If Louisianadoctors find abnormal resultsinnewborn screenings —which now test for approximately 30different diseases and conditions,including cystic fibrosis —children will likely be sent to Andersson. Andersson sees over 500 patients in thestate each year for genetic disorders.

“This state is massively underresourced,” Andersson said. “We only have seven clinical geneticists andtwo biochemical geneticists who handle this type of disease. Many patients are notreferred or seen.”

In his career,hehas seen monumentalshiftsinthe field of genetics.

“Wecan nowdiagnose children who are at risk even if they don’t have symptoms,” Andersson said. “Andwedon’t have to do invasive

biopsies; we can just take asample of saliva or blood to do full genome sequencing.” Andersson said he and his team at Tulane are part of acollective sharing in genetics research who are discovering diseases no one knew existed before exomeor whole genome sequencing.

“Wedidn’tknow what we were looking for,”Andersson said. “But nowwehave apopulation of 100 with thesamemarkers. That is a disease. Thereare many of those cases in the last decade.”

FindingAdam’svoice

The Ward family attends the National Niemann PickDiseaseFoundation conference each year,providing care for people and children diagnosed with the samecondition that Adam and Amanda had while parents, caregivers and doctors meet in conferencerooms about thelatest on the disease.

“We’restill fightingfor acure,” Ward said. “We’ve made alot of progress in this disease.The wheelchair comes in alot later than previous years and cases.”

Ward and her husband, Jim have lived in the samehouse in Metairie for 37 years. They watched, laughedand criedwith

I’mjust astonished at how fast the field is moving forward.

theirchildren Adam andAmanda during their brieflives.Theyalso watched theirmiddlechild,their daughter Chelsea, grow up and becomea neonatal intensive care unit nurse.

“Wehave to remember our whole family,” Ward said. “And thepeople we meet every year,the families we speak to every year, they are our family too.”

After Adam’s death, Ward started anew venture: looking through the eyes of her son whobecame nonverbal.

Ward began writing.

And writing and writing.

Soon,she hadstoriesofwhat Adam mayhavebeenthinking. Whathemight of said when he wasinthe delivery room meeting Amanda for the first time. When he was in that kindergarten class. When he tried to sing Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock.” What would he say to his sister who was also suffering?

“I always wondered what was going on in his brain. What did he think of all of this?” Ward said. “It must have been so incredibly frustratingthathecouldn’t say what he wanted to say.”

Ward’shusband would often read the words she wrote fortheir son.

“We’ve gotta get this published,” Jim Ward said to her one evening. In 2024, 20 years after the death of their second child to Niemann Pick C, Missy Ward started to write again. She also edited and designed amemoir about Adam The Wards found Christian Faith Publishing and, in May,“Adam’s Voice was set, bound and in their hands.

“It’sbeen special to tell our family’s story,” MissyWardsaid. “We hope it can help othersheal and know that they’re not alone.”

“Adam’sVoice”byMissy Ward is available on online book stores including Barnes& Noble, Amazon, Kindle and more.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

TheLouisiana Health sectionisfocused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and re-examining tried and true methods on ways to livewell.

Health editions will also profile people whoare advancing health forthe state of Louisiana.

Do youhavea health story? We want to hear fromyou. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Adam Ward, whowas diagnosed with Niemann Pick Cat6years old, lovedtoride his bike.

Adam Ward wasconfined to awheelchair and restricted in his movements as his disease progressed.

Eat Fit LiveFit

What is “fibermaxxing,” and should youtry it?

Fiberisnotparticularlyexcitingtotalk about,anditrarelytrendsintheway weseewithketo,intermittentfasting orcollagencoffee.Allofasudden,though, fiberishavingamoment,atleastonsocial media.TikTokusersare“fibermaxxing.”

Thisfiber-richdiettrendfocuses ongraduallyincreasingfiberintaketo decreaseuncomfortabledigestiveside effects,suchasbloating,andlowerthe riskofcertaincancers,includingcolorectal cancer.Videosofinfluencerscramming chiaseedsintojars,loadingbeansonto saladsandsharingdetailsabouthowtheir digestionhasimprovedareallpartofthe “fibermaxxing”movement

Andyouknow,I’mhereforit.TheU.S. DepartmentofAgriculturerecommends thatyougetabout14gramsoffiberper 1,000caloriesconsumed.Thattranslatesto about25gramsoffiberperdayformost womenand35gramsformen.Mostofus fallshortonfiber,averagingjustaround15 gramsdaily,soifTikTokiswhatittakesto spotlightthisunderappreciatednutrient,I’ll takeit.

BeyondtheBasics

You’velikelyheardtheusualnarratives: Fiberhelpswithdigestion,lowers cholesterol,supportshearthealthandhelps withweightloss.Alltrue—butforthose alreadynutrition-savvy,thesebasicsdon’t exactlystopyouinyourtracks.Here’swhere thingsgetmoreinteresting:Fiberisn’tjust aboutanumberonanutritionlabel;It’s aboutwhatelsecomesalongwithit. Takeraspberries,forexample.Onecup hasabout8gramsoffiber(nearlyathird ofawoman’sdailyneeds)forjust65 calories.Alongsidethatfiber,we’realso gettingvitaminC,antioxidants,waterand volumethatfillsourplateandourbelly. Compareraspberriestoafiber-fortified icecreamorcookiethatalsotouts8 gramsoffiber.Thenumbersmatch,but it’snotquitethesamepackagedeal.

IsolatedFibers

Chicoryroot(inulin)isoneofthemore commonisolatedfibersonthemarket.It’s naturallypresentinvegetablesandgrains andcanbeextractedfromfoodorcreated synthetically.Becauseit’ssuchafinewhite powder,foodmakerscaneasilyincorporate chicoryrootintobars,shakesanddesserts —cuttingcalorieswhileboostingthefiber count.Theproblem?Itmakesless-healthy foodsseemmorevirtuousbysplashing “withfiber”onthelabel.

Isolatedfibershavevalue:They’re prebioticsthatfeedgoodgutbacteria, whichproducecompoundsthatsupport immunity,lowerinflammationandmay evenbenefitmood.Butwhentheyshowup inacookieorcandybar,it’snotthesameas gettingfiberfrombeans,berriesorbroccoli.

Solublevs.Insoluble: TheOriginalFiberDuo

Wholefoodsnaturallycontaintwomain typesoffiber:

Solublefiberdissolvesinwaterand formsagel-likesubstanceinthegutthat helpsusfeelfullerlonger,regulatesblood sugarandlowerscholesterol.It’sfoundin foodslikeoats,beans,lentils,apples,citrus fruits,chiaseedsandflaxseeds.

Insolublefiberdoesnotdissolve;itadds bulkandhelpsmovefoodthroughthe digestivesystemtosupportregularbowel movements,preventconstipationandkeep thedigestivetracthealthy.It’sfoundin wholewheat,brownriceandtheskinsof fruitsandvegetables

Mostplantfoodscontainamixofboth Together,theymakewhole-foodfiberfar moreeffectivethanisolatedadd-ins.

BacktoFibermaxxing

Here’saquickrefresher: Guthealthandregularity:Addsbulk, keepsthingsmovingandfuelsamore diversemicrobiome,whichresearchties tobetterimmunityandevenimproved mentalhealth.

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsnersEatFit nonprofitinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

Metabolicperks:Slowstheabsorption ofsugar,stabilizesbloodsugar(andenergy), reducescholesterolabsorption.

Weightsupport:Filling,lowerincalories andkeepshungerhormonesbalanced. Theseclaimsaren’tnew—butthe approachis.Insteadofrestriction, fibermaxxingfocusesonaddingmore plantsandwholefoods,versuscutting somethingout

ProceedWithCaution

Takeitslowly:Morefiberisn’talways better,especiallyallatonce.Suddenly doublingortriplingyourintakecanbackfire (literally)withgas,bloatingorconstipation Fluidsarekey:Waterhelpssolublefiber formthegel-likeconsistencymentioned above.Wateralsohelpsinsolublefiber supportregularity.

Timingforsupplements:Taking mineralsupplementsoramulti-type ofsupplements(particularlythose thatcontainmineralslikeiron,calcium, zinc)withhigh-fibermealscanreduce absorptionofthoseminerals.Ideally,space mineral-containingsupplementsandfiberrichmealsatleasttwotothreehoursapart. Isitrightforyou?Whilefibermaxxing canbesafeformostpeople,anyonewith conditionslikeirritablebowelsyndrome (IBS),inflammatoryboweldiseaseora historyofbowelsurgeryshouldcheck withahealthcareprofessionalfor personalizedguidance.

TheBottomLine

Fibermaxxingmightsoundlikejust anotherhashtag,buttheconceptissolid: mostofusneedmorefiber,andwe’renot gettingenough.

Justremember,it’snotjustabouttallying grams.You’llalwaysgetmorewhenfiber comesfromrealfoodthatalsodelivers vitamins,minerals,antioxidantsand hydration.Soyes,goaheadandmaxxyour fiber—butdoitwithwholefoodsfirst.

BY THENUMBERS

NEARLy 1IN10INFANTS WERE

Admissions into neonatal intensivecare unitshaveincreased among livebirths across the U.S.,withthe national average increasing by 13% from 2016 to 2023.

NICUswere established in the U.S. in 1960 as specialized medical facilities that provide intensivecarefor newborns, particularly those bornpretermorwith medical complications.

According to datareleased in 2025 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentageofinfants admitted to aNICU in the U.S. rose from 8.7% in 2016 to 9.8% in 2023.

In Louisiana, NICU admissions from live birthsincreased from 9.3% in 2016 to 11.2% in 2023 —that’sa 20% increase, CDCdata said.

Compared to other states, Louisiana’s admission ratesintoNICUs after births hasincreased.The state went from the 16th-highest percentageofNICU admissions in 2016 to the 9th-highest percentageofNICU admissions in 2023.

These states had the highest increases in neonatal intensivecare admissions from 2016 to 2023, in descending order:

Mayo Clinic’s AI toolshelppredict

tients sooner. Toll of childhood asthma

of serious asthma exacerbationand acute respiratory infections. The study,published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology,found the tools can detect those risks as early asage 3. The work is part of Mayo Clinic’s precure strategicpriority,which aims to predict and prevent serious diseasesbefore they advance. Through innovative technologies andpopulation-based studies, precure is designed to bring prevention-focusedcare directly to pa-

Asthma affectsnearly 6million U.S. childrenand isa leading cause of missed school, emergency visits and hospital stays, according to theCenters forDiseaseControl and Prevention. Respiratory infections are the most common trigger of asthma attacks,but symptoms vary widely and change over time That makes it hard for clinicians to know which children are most vulnerable, agap these AI toolsare designedtohelp address. “Thisstudy takesusa stepcloser to precisionmedicine in childhood asthma, where care shifts from reactive care for advanced severe

asthmatopreventionand early detection of high-risk patients,” says Young Juhn, M.D., M.P.H., professorofpediatrics at MayoClinic and senior author of the study.Dr. Juhn directs several Mayo Clinic research programs,includingthe AI Program of Mayo Clinic Children’s, the PrecisionPopulation ScienceLab andthe HOUSES socioeconomic health program.

NewAItools forearly detection

For the study,researchersexamined electronic health recordsfrom morethan 22,000 children born between 1997 and 2016 in southeastern Minnesota.Tointerpret thedata at scale, they developed multiple artificial intelligence tools

n Mississippi with a 37% increase, from 7.3% in 2016 to 10% in 2023; n NewHampshire with a 34% increase, from 7% in 2016 to 9.4% in 2023; n Alabama with a 32% increase, from 8.1% in 2016 to 10.7% in 2023; n Arkansas with a 31%increase, from 8.4% in 2016 to 11% in 2023; n Connecticut with a 27% increase, from 7.9% in 2016 to 10% in 2023; n Maine with a 27% increase, from 7.7% in 2016 to 9.8% in 2023; n and Missouri with a 27% increase, from 8.3% in 2016 to 10.5% in 2023. On the opposite side of the scale, these five states had adecrease in neonatal intensivecare admissions from 2016 to 2023 including,indescending order: n Rhode Island with a 31% decrease, from 6.7% in 2016 to 4.6% in 2023; n Massachusetts with an 8% decrease, from 10.2% in 2016 to 9.4% in 2023; n Delaware with a 3% decrease, from 14.7% in 2016 to 14.2% in 2023; n Idaho with a 1% decrease, from 10.6% in 2016 to 10.5% in 2023; n and Washington with a 1% decrease, from 8.4% in 2016 to 8.3% in 2023.

asthma risksinchildren

that use machinelearning andnatural language processing to extract details from doctors’ notes. The tools captured information such as symptoms and family history,allowing theteam to apply two diagnostic checklists for asthmain youngchildren: thePredetermined AsthmaCriteria and the Asthma Predictive Index. The checklists are how clinicians assess signs such as recurring wheezing, coughs or allergic conditions. Children who met the criteria on both lists formed a distinct subgroup at higher risk for serious complications.

Asthma risk revealed by age3

Whenresearchers compared this subgroup with other children

in thestudy,the differences were clear.Byage 3, the subgroup members wereexperiencing pneumonia more than twice as often and influenzanearly threetimes as often. They also had the highest rates of asthma attacksrequiring steroids, emergencyvisits or hospitalization. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection was also more common in this group during their first three years of life. Children in this subgroup were more likely to have afamily history of asthma,eczema, allergic rhinitis or food allergies. Further, their laboratory tests fromaprevious study showed signs of allergic inflammation as well as impaired lung function.

BRO UGH TT OY OU BY

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Therewards. Theawards.

OchsnerChildren’swasnamedthe#1children’shospitalinNewOrleans andrankedamongthenation’sbestinpediatricCardiology&HeartSurgery andGastroenterology&GISurgerybyU.S.News&WorldReportforthe 5thyearinarow.ButtherealprizeisseeingkidslikeWells,IslaandLawson healthyandhappy

Meetyourexpertcareteamatochsner.org/childrens

WellsR.

IslaR. HeartProcedure PediatricPatient

LawsonR. HeartProcedure PediatricPatient

LOUISIANA

Championing

NewOrleans couple to spread culturetothe restofthe world

BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer

From the beginning, the couple behind NewOrleans’ Nous Foundation has joked thatthey’re bringing French back to the French Quarter. And when thedustclears, the nonprofit’s chic newheadquarters on ToulouseStreet will feature French music, Frenchletters and apetite French bookstore.

But the foundation’sambitions are bigger than the Quarter —bigger than New Orleans or even Louisiana.

The NewOrleansFoundation for Francophone Cultures, known as Nous, supports the revitalization of Louisiana’s heritagecultures,focusing on Cajun, Creole andIndigenous communities. Its small staff curates exhibits, produces films, publishes books and records albums through the independent label, Nous.

In 2024, Nousfocused on HaitiLouisiana. In 2025, the theme was “Musique(s).”And, in its newseason, titled “L’Amérique selon la Louisiane,” or “Louisiana’sAmerica,” founders Scott Tilton andRudy Bazenet are making thecase that Louisiana containsthe keytothe United States. By looking at Louisiana, one can more clearly see the country

“What Ilike is the idea of reversing the narrative in Louisiana that we’re always viewed as almost an oddity,assomethingonthe periphery of this country,” said Tilton “You can see the imprintofour cultureeverywhere, from architecture to music to cuisine.”

“It’shad an indelible impact all over the country,” headded

The season, announced in September,istimed to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but it doesn’t feel dusty.Francophone culture“doesn’tjusthave to be adocumentarywith arocking chair,going on about the good old days,” Tilton, 33, said with asmile Anew space

The Nous Foundation, Frenchfor “we,” captures —and creates what’shappeningnow.This season is its biggest yet.

Louisiana

After hosting years of events at the BK Historic House and Gardens, this year theNous Foundation moved intoanold shoe shop in theheart of theFrenchQuarter,owned by the Historic New Orleans Collection.Renderings of the refreshed space, settoreopen in November, show arches clad in handsome cypress wood, a petite gallery for exhibitions and aworkspaceopen to thepublic via aglasswall.

Theduo made astrong case for themany things it could accomplish in 700 square feet, said Heather Hodges, director of institutional advancement for HNOC, which uses its collection to tell thestoryofNew Orleans.

“Whatwedon’t do —and what they do —isprovide aclearly marked door and point of entry into theFrancophone heritage,” she said. Over and over,Nous has shown thediversityofthatFrancophone heritageinboth their programs and their grantmaking.

When,lastyear, they recorded an album titled “Musique(s),” aproject backed by the Library of Congress, they included not only French folk musicbut also reached outtothe

Baby Dolls, Hodgessaid. The Baby Dolls,astalwart of Black Mardi Gras celebrations,resurrected and recorded old Creole songs, now preserved on the album.

In September,Nousbrought anotheract on the “Musique(s)” album, theduo SweetCrude,toNew York to perform for theUnited Nations General Assembly ‘Withcareand heart’

The Nous Foundation launched in Parisin2020, whereTilton andBazenet had met at aparty. They’ve been marriedsince 2021. Tilton, who grew up hearing his family speak French in New Orleans,was studying international relations there. Bazenet, whogrew up in France, was working for the French Foreign Service. Just weeks aftermeeting, the pair began workingonaprojectsomedoubted could be done —have the L’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie recognizeLouisiana as amember. It wasn’tunheard of: The OIF gathersmore than 90 French-speaking countriesand regions. In addition to Canada, it recognizes Quebec and

ä See LOUISIANA, page 2Y

Friendships keep flowing

Four years ago, Iorganized a six-daywhitewater rafting trip with 17 women. It wasthe kind of week thatfills the soul —long days paddling, sharedmealsunderthe stars andlaughter echoing offcanyonwalls, again and again. We hadincredible guides who cooked gourmet food. They also setupour cotsand sleeping bags each evening on anew beach on the SalmonRiverinIdaho. The nights were cool. Iremember lying there in my long johnpajamas, looking up at the stars in some of the biggest skies I’ve ever seen. Iwas snuggled in a sleeping bag andthinking how the cool airfeltlike it does in the best hotelroom, but no hotelhad ever offered anight view like that. The whole trip was one of those rare experiencessoperfect that we didn’tbelieve it was right to try to do it again. It will live in our headsasmagic from here on out. An adventure like that either fractures friendships or binds themdeeper.For us, it was the latter

Back then, before we headed home, we allsaidwewould gather again soon.

“Soon”turnedinto four years. Life hasa way of doing that, doesn’tit?

Jobs, moves, kids, broken bones, career changes, caring for others, illnessesand the steady march of obligations wedge themselvesbetween good intentions andreality

But last week,one of my friends invitedustoacamp on Cypremort Point. Thanks to her, we found ourway back to eachother andtothe water.

Granted, the whole group wasn’table to be there, but those of us who gathereddidn’tmiss abeat. We told the stories of the last four years of our lives. We laughed. We cried. We ate allthe good things. Being with oldfriends is restorative. We appreciated the chance to discuss the newlinesonour faces. We acknowledgedthe changes in us —some of them visible, some invisible.Childrengrown, jobs lost andfound, relationships shifting. But in this kind of company,the yearsdon’t feelsoheavy.They feellike part of the story

Eventhough the time together was shorterand the water tamer, the joyofbeing together wasjust as strong —maybe stronger

One of the quiet gifts of old friends is thatthey don’texpect youtobeanyone but who youare Theyknowthe version of you who stayeduplate square dancing on asandbar. They’ve seen yousoggy,sunburnedwith hair thathadn’tbeen washed in five days —and they loved you just the same.

ä See RISHER, page 2Y

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Nous Foundation founders ScottTilton and Rudy Bazenet, standing on aFrench Quarter balcony, areusing francophone culture to makethe case that Louisiana contains thekey to theUnited States.

PROVIDED PHOTO By WAyANBARRE

The ‘Musique(s)’ album and book can be found at the Nous Foundation’s space on Toulouse Street.

INSPIRED DISCUSSIONS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Researcher works toward waterfowl conservation

LSU graduate returns to department to help benefit Louisiana environment

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer

Janice Pearson graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in natural resources and ecology management with a minor in oceanography and coastal sciences. Now, she’s turning her passion into purpose as she steps into a role with LSU’s School of Renewable Natural Resources as a wildlife research technician.

For three years, Pearson was a student worker who assisted with waterfowl studies and wildlife distribution research at the Reproductive Biology Center at the LSU AgCenter’s Central Research Station. Today she works with that same department to visit state wildlife management areas to conduct field work and collect data on Black-bellied whistling ducks, wood ducks and mottled ducks.

One of the most rewarding parts of her job is working with the next generation of conservationists.

What solutions does your research with the LSU AgCenter work toward solving?

On my various projects that I assist on, we’re working toward research for waterfowl conservation. We work hand in hand with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

One project I’ve been working on has to do with movement ecology, studying the movements of various species that migrate down here in the winter We’re looking at their sanctuary use and also taking autonomous recording units, ARUs, to analyze for gunshots in the area.

We’re taking that data and overlapping it with transmitter data to put transmitters on the backs of northern pintails. The data gives us a better idea of how we can manage the species so that we’re not risking them not returning. Or

it gives us a better opportunity to do more studies on survival rates or population data.

Why is Louisiana an important place for this research to happen?

Louisiana is a critical point, especially in the winter, for waterfowl As birds are migrating south, most duck and waterfowl species converge at the base of the Mississippi River that feeds into the Gulf in the winter, and that’s where they winter

You see more species of waterfowl here than you do anywhere else in the United States that converge all at once. That’s what makes Louisiana super special.

For a hunter, you can go duck hunting and kill six or seven different species in one hunt. For research purposes, that gives other researchers the opportunity to come and start studies in Louisiana to get a better idea of these birds.

How do you catch and band birds safely?

The primary technique we use is called rocket netting. Basically, we use rockets that shoot nets out over the birds, and then it safely holds the birds.

We go out and take the birds out of the nets and put them in a crate. Then we age, sex and band them. We have a lot of safety protocols in place for rockets, and we take that very seriously, but it’s one of the best tactics to get as many birds possible. They also use walk-in traps that are similar to a snare, but it does not tighten. It doesn’t harm the bird, and it’s a little bit safer than rocket netting.

Banding is important for us because it can tell us where that duck is, how long the duck survived and the age of the duck. We can use those things for survival rates That also gives us an idea of their movement Then, we have a universal data sheet that we upload the data to so that we can track all of the birds that we band.

What’s the most rewarding part of working with waterfowl?

Getting hands-on experiences and learning about the species itself is rewarding. Being able to actually be a part of the solution

Q&A WITH JANICE PEARSON LSU WILDLIFE RESEARCHER

and making contacts in the waterfowl world professionally is rewarding.

Seeing the birds converge is just a beautiful thing. It’s pretty amazing.

With black bellies, they used to never be here. So seeing them now is just incredible, plus learning about them In my time assisting in research with LSU, I have been able to teach undergrad students how to band, and I’m teaching them the ropes. That was really rewarding to see them get excited about it, because that helps the whole conservation community

When they’re out there in the field, refueling that passion for them to stay in the field, it’s really rewarding because we need people in our field who want to work toward saving what we have.

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@theadvocate. com.

We’re looking for La. Master Naturalists

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

The Louisiana Master Naturalist Association educates Louisiana citizens about the state’s flora and fauna, as well as other as-

pects of the environment and ecosystems. Individuals go through training, and, once certified, the Louisiana Master Naturalists are required to use their talents to educate others or assist programs that

promote and protect the state’s natural heritage. Are you a Louisiana Master Naturalist, or do you know an exemplary Louisiana Master Naturalist? Email the Louisiana Inspired team, joy.holden@

theadvocate.com or jan. risher@theadvocate.com, with your name and contact information.

Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate. com.

RISHER

Continued from page 1y

old friends can refill a soul. Four years melted away In the end, that’s the gift friendship brings it’s a reminder that time ebbs and flows, but also that love holds the course.

Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

LOUISIANA

Continued from page 1y

New Brunswick. Over two years, Tilton and Bazenet sent hundreds of emails, lobbying for Louisiana to join the Francophonie. In 2018, it did.

The couple saw an opportunity to be of use They loved living in Paris, “but Paris doesn’t need anyone,” Tilton joked. In New Orleans, “you feel like you can make a difference.”

More than a century after French was banned from Louisiana classrooms, the numbers are bleak. There are perhaps 120,000 French speakers in the state, some data suggests, down from about 1 million just 60 years ago. Of those, perhaps 20,000 speak Cajun French, others traditional French.

Even a decade ago people who cared about French language and culture in Louisiana were “really worried,” said Evelyne Bornier, a professor of French at Auburn University

But in the past five years, she says they have really seen a strong revival of the Francophone culture. The revival is in part due to organizations across the state, including the Nous Foundation, said Bornier, author of “Parcours Louisianais,” a collection of Louisiana literature in French, from the 1680s to 1900.

“The amount of things they have done in such little time is nothing short of a miracle,” she said of the Nous Foundation. “They’re not just preserving the culture. They’re building something new and meaningful with care and scholarship and heart.”

At a time of shrinking resources, the Nous Foundation is growing.

The nonprofit raised $300,000 in fiscal year 2025, which wrapped up in June. It received 56% of the grant funding for which it applied, about twice the national average. But during a conversation in September, Tilton focused

on another number: 50. As in, the foundation’s operations in 2025 supported some 50 artists, musicians and creatives across the state. For a long time, “our cultures have been exploited, to a certain degree, for tourism purposes,” Tilton said. But that commodification often doesn’t lead to artists getting paid. Policies can help revive Francophone cultures, he continued.

“I think we, as a movement, focused on the policy side of this for a very long time, and it may have escaped us that there was this real importance to actually getting funds into the hands of artists, into the hands of musicians, into the hands of creatives,” he said. To that end, Nous has launched a cultural accelerator program, Le Lab, to boost projects and start-ups with a hand in heritage culture. The program has raised some $235,000 to support 12 projects, a few of which have turned into nonprofits and businesses.

Next month, with the help of Le Lab, Mélange Dance Company will remount “Love Letters of World War II,” this time interweaving the story of how Louisiana’s Frenchspeaking Cajuns helped win the war It’s a beautiful show said Monica Ordoñez, the dance company’s artistic director, that reveals “how powerful we are if we join forces and preserve our culture.” The show is also costly to produce, said Ordoñez, who works as a paralegal. The nonprofit dance company pays the show’s 21 dancers for their rehearsal and performance time. It pays a live band, too.

“We hope we can break even,” she said.

Already, though, the partnership with the Nous Foundation is paying off Bazenet and Tilton are helping the dance company connect with partners and possibilities, Ordoñez said.

“They’ve been selfless with their support,” she added.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

A black-bellied whistling duck takes off from a small flock bobbing along in Capitol Lake on March 18 in Baton Rouge.

PROVIDED PHOTO Janice Pearson, a wildlife research technician with LSU’s School of Renewable Natural Resources, works in the field in Point-Aux-Chenere to conduct mottled duck banding with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Jan Risher, from left, Michele Ezell, Cherie Hebert, Angi Davis and Catherine S. Comeaux sit on a pontoon boat in Vermilion Bay at Cypremort Point

Nomination period opensfor 2025 Inspirit Awards

Proposesomeone whomakes a difference

BY JANRISHER Staff writer

Louisiana Inspired is allabout shining alight on people and organizations who are working toward solutions in Louisiana neighborhoods, communities, towns, cities and throughout the state it’swork that takes extra effort by specialpeople, demonstrating the goodstuff of the human spirit.

We are announcing the 2025 Inspirit Awards. Webster says inspirit implies instilling life, energy,courage or vigorinto something.

We are looking for people who do just that —and to do so, we need you! By Nov.12, you can nominate thepeopleyou know or have watched make apositive difference in the lives of others at www.nola.com/site/forms/the_inspirit_award/.

We encourage nominations of peopleofall ages —those who systematically go about doing their best to make the world a better place.

We want generalists who do all sorts of things. We want those who are single-mindedlydevoted to one issue. We wantthe young and the old, people in cities and those in rural communities across Louisiana. We want people in schools, including students and teachers. We are looking for people who started trying to solve aproblem this year and those who have been workingatitfor years

We want to learn about business people who have made apositive difference in the lives of their employees or the world at large

We want to learn about teachers who developed an innovative ap-

proach to solvinga problem. We want to learn about musicians and artists of all kinds, nonprofit executives and volunteers—and unsung heroes and heroines who don’tfitinto any of those categories.

The Inspirit award winners from 2024 were:

n Julie Rabalais, of Lafayette, thefounder of For theBirds Acadiana,anonprofit bird rescue and rehab organization.

n Darryl Durham, of New Orleans, founder and director of Anna’s Place Nola, anonprofit that focuses on breaking thecycle of trauma for economically disadvantagedyouthinNew Orleans.

n Jennifer Richardson,ofBaton Rouge,organizer of Keep Tiger Town Beautiful, agroup of volunteers committed to cleaning up litter in Baton Rouge.

n Kathleen Cannino, of Covington, leader of astatewide campaign to get cameras in special ed classrooms.

n Rashida Ferdinand,ofNew Orleans, founder of anonprofit that runsapark, local market, food pantry and economic development initiativeinthe Lower 9th Ward.

n Libbie Sonnier,ofNew Orleans, CEO of Louisiana Policy Institute for Children.

n Warren Perrin, of Acadiana, advocateand activist for Cajun and Creolerecognitionand representation.

Thenomination process:

n Focuses on peoplewho are working toward solutions in their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, communities and state

n Seeks stories of impact shared by nominators

n Lifts up detailsofpersonal stories that inspire change Awardrecipients will be announcedinthe Dec. 21 editionof Louisiana Inspired.

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com

STAFF FILEPHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

Kathleen Canninoisa special education advocate whohelped pass aLouisiana lawgiving parents the right to ask schools to install classroom cameras.

STAFF FILE PHOTOByBRETT DUKE

Darryl Durham, founder of Anna’sPlace NOLA,leadsachoir class during an after-school youth program in NewOrleans on Dec.5

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MATTHEWPERSCHALL Rashida Ferdinand, founder of a nonprofitthat runs apark,local market, foodpantry, stands in Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature TrailinNew Orleans on Dec.5

PROVIDED PHOTO

Libbie Sonnier is CEO of Louisiana Policy Institute for Children

STAFFFILE PHOTOByJAVIER GALLEGOS

Jennifer Richardson, founder of Keep TigerTownBeautiful,stands next to five bags of trash collected along the Siegen Lane and Interstate 10 FrontageRoad intersection on Dec.11.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRADBOWIE

Bird rescuer and rehabilitator Julie Rabalais holds apelican that is under her care on Dec.7 at For the Birds of Acadiana.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Warren Perrin hosts theCanadian band Les HayBabies at his cottage in the community of Henry.

FAITH & VALUES

Law school first to have a space just for Hindus

BY RICHA KARMARKAR

Contributing writer

Law school’s notorious stress takes a toll on even the most determined students. But for a group of 20-somethings at New York University School of Law, an ancient tradition offers a framework for handling the pressure.

“Many parts of Hinduism are so well-suited to being able to handle such a high-stress profession,” said Roshni Yaradi, the co-chair of the new Hindu Law Students Association. “Like, many times, you’re handling literal life and death.

“Practices of Hinduism — including yoga, meditation, breath work things that are so fundamental to the faith, are very stress-relieving and focusing techniques that I think any practicing lawyer should utilize.” Yaradi and six other students, all of Indian origin, are the first members of the only Hindu affinity group at any law school in the nation. HLSA was conceptualized by twin sisters Tanya and Megha Bansal three years ago, but officially started last spring, after taking time to gain traction and the necessary approval signatures.

“If every other religious group has an organization at NYU Law, why don’t we?” thought Rachita Bommakanti, a fellow second-year student and Yaradi’s co-chair Indian students are the secondhighest population of international students at NYU, after those from China, with more than 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students coming from India to study at NYU in the 2023-2024 academic school year

“I think it’s a little bit of a reclamation project for us,” said Bommakanti, who hopes the HLSA will help grad-school-age Hindus, from India or the U.S., reconnect with their faith — and its resources for succeeding in the legal profession while studying in the city

In their younger years, Yaradi and Bommakanti, both from the DC-Maryland-Virginia area, felt reluctant to join existing Hindu student groups: partially due to what they said was a less developed relationship with their own faith, and partially due to the “very real insecurity” of being a proud, visible Hindu in the country which is the reason, they say, most young Hindu Americans identify with the cultural, but not necessarily the religious, aspects of Hinduism.

(“Diwali parties without the puja

(prayer ritual),” Yaradi offered by way of example.)

The co-chairs also felt that not enough spaces emphasized the diversity of perspectives in Hinduism, often because they were tied to a specific Hindu sect or lineage

“It was, like, really rigid, or there was less room for dissent,” said Bommakanti, who describes herself as being drawn more to the philosophy of Hinduism than to its ritualistic aspects. “Which is funny right? Because the whole point is that we are dissenting individuals.”

In these young women’s eyes, HLSA is not meant to be the largest Hindu student organization in the nation, but a specially meaningful one, in which anyone feels welcome to discuss their differing opinions, values, practices and experiences with the Hindu faith.

But the real project, they say, is changing the perception of what Hinduism can be for a young American. “You can be a Hindu and be cool,” said Yaradi. “You can be a Hindu and interpret it in a way that you eat meat, and you can interpret it in a way that you don’t eat meat. You can interpret it in a way that you do or don’t drink.”

Bommakanti continued “Whatever impediment people feel to exercising Hinduism that is caused by this idea that, like, ‘I’m going to be weird,’ or ‘I’m not going to be normal,’ I want to abolish that.

“All it takes is just to see one person being cool and a proud Hindu, and then you’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I can do that too,’” she said.

The group of about 30 students most of them part of the one-year Masters of Law program, with a few in the full three-year JD program — has thus far held a yoga class at SoHo’s Broome Street Ganesha Temple and a discussion about Indic spirituality with New School professor Gabrielle Williams.

But the Hindu perspective is not limited to yoga practice and “golden lattes.” The Bhagavad Gita the sacred Hindu text detailing Lord Krishna’s advice to warrior prince Arjuna in the midst of the Mahabharata war — has been a guiding light for these students studying the way of the law Particularly, they say, a verse in Chapter Two in which Arjuna is preoccupied with the possible results of the war, rather than his dharma, or duty in the present.

HLSA hopes to start weekly group Gita readings as members progress through demanding coursework and exams, as well as their future cases as attorneys.

“Krishna tells Arjuna to focus on what you do and do it to the best of your ability, and then, like, leave it there,” said Yaradi, “and what is meant to happen is going to happen. That is an incredibly valuable perspective, to just have faith that things will work out, while also prioritizing doing your duty, which is to work hard.”

“So much of the law is about the fruit of your action, right?” added Bommakanti. “And the attachment to that fruit, I feel like, is ultimately what leads people to burnout and dissatisfaction. It’s such a simple principle, but such an enduring one.”

For their own dharma, the students hope creating this club will open the doors for other students to take the initiative at their universities — no matter their own journey with Hinduism. And hopefully they say, being more “openly Hindu” will inspire existing Hindu lawyers and other professionals to share how their faith intersects with their job.

“Hinduism is so beautiful because if you want to do the work — if you want to read, if you want to think, if you want to have conversations — you don’t have to be old to be learned,” said Bommakanti. “I don’t have to be like, some monk or something, to chair this organization. I can just be someone who’s looking for answers.”

The group kicked off the school year last week with a welcome picnic, and the co-chairs say they hope to soon host Hindu traditional dance workshops, trips to Queens temples and holiday celebrations, making sure, Yaradi said, to “tie the religious and cultural aspects of Hinduism back together.”

Drones and AI are changing the fight against wildfires

BY EMILY SENKOSKY

Contributing writer

Editor’s note: This story, created by Emily Senkosky for Grist is part of the Solutions Story Tracker from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world. Earlier this summer, the Banana Lake Fire erupted near Plains, Montana, engulfing over 850 acres in flames within a day The “total suppression” response from firefighting officials included deploying at least 17 engines, two helicopters, and three bulldozers, as well as highly trained fire crews. But another newer piece of technology was also at play as firefighters worked to contain the blaze: drones. Banana Lake was one of several early-season fires in the state this year As of this writing, there are over 20,000 acres burning across seven key wildfires in Montana, at varying levels of containment. And increasingly hot and dry conditions throughout the American West are making fire an ever more fickle foe As a new era with the natural disaster commences, both fire practitioners and researchers across the West are bolstering their arsenal with cutting-edge tools. Drones now fly above firefighters, private satellite companies monitor fire and smoke from above, and AI machine-learning models are helping to advance fire research. While these new innovations are not panaceas, ground operations crews and scientists are optimistic about the ways modern technology can help fight fire smarter, not harder. Since 2018, drones sometimes referred to as unmanned aerial systems, or UAS have been flying under the radar as a new instrument for the United States Forest Service in the fight against wildfire. Thanks in large part to Dirk Giles, who launched and leads the agency’s UAS program, the number of drones deployed each year by the Forest Service has jumped from 734 flights in 2019 to over 17,000 in 2024.

“The program has really hit a new stride in the past three years,” said Giles “We are seeing UAS supplementing fire crews across all phases of response.”

“This UAS program is now being recognized as prolific,” said Ry Phipps, a division supervisor in Region 1 of the Forest Service, which includes Montana. “There was a time we wouldn’t have even thought to try and order a drone

for operations. They have become a fantastic tool that is changing the game.”

According to Phipps, drones are increasingly seen as a force multiplier by Forest Service employees. Drones equipped with infrared sensors can help detect lingering hot spots, pinpointing areas at risk for reigniting. Previously, firefighters had to meticulously hand-check burn scars, which could take days at a time and a ton of manpower depending on the size of the area With supervisors like Phipps reading a thermal map on a screen fed by drone data, firefighters with boots on the ground can be dispatched more safely and efficiently only going to spots that have high heat signatures.

“It saves a lot of time and risk for crews,” said Phipps.

For helicopter pilots, who help control wildfires by dropping water or fire retardant to suppress flames and creating fire lines for ground crews to control blazes, drones can also assist. Preprogrammed flight trajectories in combination with infrared sensors allow UAS to fly through heavy smoke or at night

This mitigates the need for “low and slow” reconnaissance missions, which require pilots to fly close to the ground in tricky terrain and low visibility According to Giles, these missions are some of the most dangerous for wildland fire pilots.

As their name would suggest, unmanned aerial systems offer a way to do surveillance without putting pilots in danger — which means that UAS can unlock new abilities for fire crews in extreme conditions.

“Basically, you can fly drones so that nobody gets hurt,” said Phipps.

“You can replace a drone. You can’t replace a person.”

Although Giles, Phipps, and others believe that drones show great promise especially in shifting risk from firefighters to a machine the size of a small cooler they’re far from being a silver bullet. The machines have limited battery life and can only complete flights of about 15 minutes on average, meaning that deployments must be carefully planned. And since drones are still being studied in various fire management applications, manpower is still needed to check the “ground truth” of information that UAS provide.

Another limitation is simply availability According to Phipps, there aren’t as many drones as there is demand for them Ironically, there’s also an emerging risk from privately owned drones getting in the way of official operations If hobby drones are in the airspace near a wildfire, it’s also a no-go for land management agencies to fly During a wildfire

Grayback Forestry firefighters working on the Banana Lake Fire walk through the forest in a line and kneel down to feel for hotspots with their hands. Although the wildfire already burned through the area, small fires can burn underground or in tree root systems. Ground crews work in conjunction with drone pilots, who can detect hotspots using thermal imagery.

in Montana in 2022, aerial crew operations came to a standstill as an unapproved drone buzzed right into an area with a temporary flight restriction. Officials were able to locate the drone’s owner in just about 15 minutes — but that’s precious time when a fire is raging. And just two weeks ago during a wildfire near Provo, Utah, fire operations were shut down by multiple drone incursions, impeding fire management on a high-profile fire near a densely populated community While UAS are becoming more critical in fire operations, officials must also work on educating civilians to ensure unauthorized drones don’t prevent them from flying their own. Another area of fire management that drones have shown

shown some promise in is lighting and managing controlled burns — intentional blazes set to clear dry brush and other fuels.

Fire management’s history of suppression disrupted the natural fire cycles that Indigenous communities once stewarded cycles that many ecologists now champion. As colonization spread across the West and settlers sought to control land and resources, racist assimilation programs criminalized all manner of Indigenous customs. Prescribed burning was one of them.

But as the consequences of this more aggressive, reactive approach to fire management have become apparent, Western science has increasingly caught on to the effectiveness of routine controlled

burning One recent Stanford-led study revealed that prescribed burns can reduce the severity of subsequent wildfires by an average of 16 percent and net smoke pollution by 14 percent. Fire professionals have also recognized their potential, with applications growing year over year

Enter another new breed of drones: UAS that can be equipped to carry “dragon eggs,” pingpong ball-sized clusters of a flammable potassium concoction that ignite on impact. This innovation helped the Forest Service burn around 189,000 acres in 2024 to reduce built-up fuels.

While the use of prescribed burns is on the rise, in Montana and elsewhere, concerns remain about public safety risks, both from air pollution and the possibility of blazes getting out of control. Technology is helping to address those kinds of questions, too.

Researchers in Montana are looking to clear some of the lingering haze of safety concerns around prescribed burns through a National Science Foundation-funded project titled SMART FIRES. (The project’s title is an acronym for Sensors, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence in Real Time Fire Science.) The group, specializing in fields from atmospheric chemistry to public health, will use the grant to conduct five years of study and fieldwork aimed at unpacking the environmental and social dynamics needed to scale prescribed burns as a preventative measure for wildfire The suite of custom gadgets that the project is utilizing includes some proprietary UAS.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Students take a group photo during a Hindu Law Students Association welcome picnic at New york University in September

PROVIDED PHOTOS By JOHN STEMBER

An unmanned aerial systems pilot from the U.S. Forest Service flies a drone using a handheld control system on the Banana Lake wildfire outside of Plains, Mont., on June 6. The pilot is looking for hotspot locations using thermal imagery, which are then passed onto firefighting crews on the ground.

SUNDAY, OctOber 12, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — serenAded: seh-rihNAY-did: Performed vocally or instrumentally, especially outdoors to court a love interest.

Average mark 37 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 59 or more words in SERENADED?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

goren Bridge

Exuberance of youth

Today’s deal is from a youth competition in Europe. South was Marius Austad, from Norway. His jump to six diamonds, with no club control, was a big gamble. He was bluffing that he did have a club control. Even if West led a club, he might shift to a spade at trick two. Given Austad’s strong spades there would probably be nothing in dummy that would inhibit a spade shift. North raised to seven, reasoning that if partner could jump to six missing two aces, she could bid one more. Whew!

wuzzLes

super Quiz

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level,

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

Austad won the opening club lead with dummy’s ace and cashed the ace of hearts to discard his remaining club The trumps were likely to be breaking poorly after the pre-empt, so Austad led the 10 of diamonds at trick two and ran it So far, so good He could draw the trumps now, but he would then need a 3-3 spade split He reasoned that if the spades were 3-3, it would be safe to cash the high ones now An opponent who was short in spades might also be out of trumps. That is exactly what happened, so Austad was able to safely ruff his last spade with dummy’s remaining trump. He ruffed a heart back to his hand, drew trumps, and claimed. An exciting deal!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) It’s your choice; follow your heart and satisfy your soul Strive for perfection and engage in what’s real, tangible and withinyourbudget.Walkawayfrom drama and indulgent behavior

SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 22) Speak up; share your thoughts, emotions and intentions with someone special. Put your strengths on display, and don’t hesitate to lead the way. A partnership shows promise.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Don’t count on anyone but yourself. If you want to change, it’s up to you to put your goals into practice. Trust your instincts and turn your desire into a

lucrative affair. Let your actions be your voice.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Refuse to let what others do or say mislead you. It’s up to you to manifest opportunities and complete missions that can effectively showcase what you have to offer AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Exhaust your creative imagination, and you’ll come up with a plan that surpasses your expectations. Connect with people who appreciate what you do and can help further your interests. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) You’ll need an outlet for your thoughts. Attend

an event that promotes a platform and encourages conversations that can transform how you move forward. A little flirting will go a long way and could have long-term effects. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Be honest with yourself. It’s easy to conjure up scenarios that can lead to emotional mayhem. Engaging in a creative project or spending time with someone close to you is encouraged TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Make room toaccommodatesomethingorsomeone who matters to you. A kind gesture will help build strong ties. Making some home improvements

or hosting an event will put you in the spotlight. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) You’ll engage everyone around you with your effervescent personality, constant activity and diverse way of dealing with people and situations. Reach out to someone from your past and catch up. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Your unique inputandthoughtfulnesswillprompt those you encounter to contribute interesting alternatives. Don’t hesitate to commit if you feel strongly about someone or something. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) An open mind will help you understand the reac-

tions of others. Charm and positive affirmation will help you navigate your way past any obstacles in your path. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Participate in something that resonates with you, and you’ll make connections with people who share your beliefs. Move forward with an open heart and mind and share what you have to offer

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

1. Cat. 2. Mice. 3. Mockingbird. 4. Lion

5. Penguins. 6. Caterpillar.7.Stallion or Swan. 8. Flies. 9. Duckling. 10. Bird. 11.Fish. 12. Bees. 13. Elephants.14. Hound.15. Dog

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: October was alwaysthe least dependable of months .fullofghosts and shadows. —Joy Fielding

jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly

by BillAmend